


First Impressions

by Suzum3



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Yuri on Ice - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-06-12 15:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 44,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15342387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suzum3/pseuds/Suzum3
Summary: Yuri was never very good at making first impressions. But the one he made on you, his new practice partner, had to be the worst yet.





	1. Yuri’s new practice partner

Yuri Plisetsky was never very good with first impressions, especially when he needs to make himself look good. He always messed up special interviews and meetings with people of importance. Yakov was actually quite reluctant to let the boy train under him.

Out of all meetings and interviews gone wrong, meeting you was definitely the worst. 

It all started when Yuri came back from the Hot Springs on Ice skate-off in Hasetsu. If he had known that he was going to lose, he wouldn't have challenged Yuuri in the first place. But it did make him stronger. He would realize this some time into the future. 

After the skate-off with Yuuri Katsuki, Yuri pretty much gave up on Viktor. He didn't respect him as a coach, skater, or even a person anymore. The only things Viktor was good for were giving people false hope and making promises he couldn't keep. 

The only good news he'd heard during that time was…nothing. Yuri couldn't think of anything good that had come from that entire experience. However, he had realized that there was still hope when Yakov introduced him to Lilia, his soon-to-be second coach. 

Lilia was another person who wasn't good at making first impressions. But she didn't really care. She would meet whoever she needed to meet and speak to whoever she needed to speak to. She would get the job done, so it didn't matter to her whether people liked her or not.

Yuri could tell this woman would be very helpful to his skating. Of course, he didn't want to admit he needed the help. He acted just like he normally did to anyone else he didn't care about. 

"Yakov, I don't need this old hag to help me with my skating. She's a ballet instructor, not a skating coach."

Yakov, who was used to Yuri's complaints, expected this response. "Yuri, listen to what she has to say. She'll be a good coach for you and she'll make sure you'll win gold at the Grand Prix Final."

Yuri didn't really believe that, but he was willing to listen. He was interested in what exactly this old lady knew about winning the Grand Prix Final. 

"I will make you great, Yuri. Your figure makes you especially good with flexibility and speed, so we'll need to choreograph a free skate program that utilizes both abilities as much as possible. Ballerinas are the best at those skills. The reason I'm here is to make you a prima ballerina."

Yuri was surprised. It sounded like this woman actually knew what she was talking about. She was right about how his body type enhances his flexibility and speed, and she was also right about how ballerinas are the most skilled in that category.

There was no way he would be able to beat that pig Yuuri Katsuki the way he was now. Maybe she was on to something. Maybe there was some truth in her statements.  
"Are you sure this will make me win?"

Lilia nodded. "I'm positive. If you train the way I tell you, you will secure a win at the Grand Prix Final and you'll be the youngest skater to ever win in the senior division."

Yuri liked the sound of that. "Alright. I'll do it. But if it turns out you're not as good as you say you are, I'll let everyone know." 

"Yuri!" Yakov yelled. "You can't threaten your superiors!"

"It's fine, Yakov," Lilia told the man, looking at him with a certain energy in her eyes. "I like a challenge." She looked back to Yuri. "Practice with me starts at 6:00 at my studio. Yakov will drive you there. If you're late, I'll take it that you weren't interested in my offer after all." 

Things were getting interesting. 

~

At around 5:30, Yakov drove Yuri to Lilia's studio. They got there at exactly 5:55. "We'd better hurry, Yuri. You don't want to be late!"  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The two entered the studio, immediately seeing Lilia. "Yuri, I almost thought you weren't going to come. Yakov must be an even slower driver than I remember."

"Like you could drive any faster!" Yakov retorted. Yuri really wasn't in the mood for this lover's quarrel. He was more interested in finding out how practice would be going from now it. It would be much different from what he's used to, so he wanted to find out what he'd be doing as soon as possible.

"Yuri," Lilia started after she was done arguing with a very angry-looking Yakov, "I have to find you a suitable outfit you can use for practice today. I'm assuming Yakov didn't think to bring anything other than what you're currently wearing?"

Yuri could hear Yakov yelling something at Lilia while he looked down at himself. He was wearing his regular practice clothing. What was wrong with it? He asked Lilia this question to which she replied, "Clothing needs to be more loose than that for ballet."

Yuri nodded. That made sense. The clothes used to practice figure skating were a bit tighter and warmer. "Yuri," Lilia spoke again, "there's a student of mine who is also a figure skater. She's around your age, too, and she's just qualified for the senior division. She'll be the one helping you practice today, since I have to find you some new clothes.

"Her name is (F/N) (L/N). Go to the studio and she'll meet you there in a few minutes. It's the first door on the–"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," the blonde replied. "I'm tired of hearing all this. I'm gonna go warm up now."

Yuri didn't listen to what was probably the most important piece of information Lilia would give. The studio was the first room the the right, not the left. Yuri opened the door on the left, which he soon realized was the changing room.

He didn't really process it at first. He just saw some clothes on the ground, but he just assumed it was normal for a ballet studio, since he'd never been in one before. He only realized his mistake when he looked up from the clothes to you, who was currently in the process of changing clothes.

The two of you stared at each other for quite some time, trying to piece together what just happened. You were the first to speak the words, "Um…p-please close the door…"

Yuri could feel all the blood rush to his face. He gave a stuttered response of "sorry!" and closed the door as quickly as possible.  
Yuri couldn't open the door to the actual studio fast enough. He closed the door behind him and gave a long sigh. 

He recognized your face when he saw it. You were (Y/N), the junior gold medalist who was the same age as him. He had always appreciated your style of figure skating, as it seemed graceful and passionate. He was actually somewhat excited when he heard that you were his practice partner. It felt like meeting a celebrity.

 

But then it dawned on him that he messed up as badly as he could.

 

As far as first impressions go, this was definitely the worst.


	2. Yuri’s embarrassment

When you finally exited the changing room and entered the studio, Yuri was still mortified. He just walked in on you, the junior division gold medalist, changing. 

But that was all Lilia's fault, he thought. It's her fault for not telling me which room was which. She should've called me back before I walked off. Maybe she even wanted me to embarrass myself or something.

He snapped out of his thoughts when you entered the studio and slowly shut the door. "Uh…hi. My name is (Y/N). Lilia told me I was supposed to help you with some ballet exercises."

How were you able to act so calm right now? Sure, you looked a bit flustered and nervous, but you were able to keep your composure. Maybe it wasn't as big of a deal as he thought it was. He should just try to forget about it for now and continue with practice.

"Y-yeah, that's what she told me, too." Wow, Yuri, could you sound any more lame? "We'll just get right into it, I guess."

"Wait a second," you interrupted. "Is this your first ballet lesson? You've never had a lesson before from anyone other than Lilia?"

Yuri was in the middle of taking his jacket off when you questioned him. "And what the hell makes you think that?"

You gave a shy smile and replied, "You're never supposed to start practicing right away. You have to stretch thoroughly first to make sure your muscles are all ready." 

Oh. "So what if it's my first lesson? I'm sure this whole thing will be useless anyway. This isn't going to help with my figure skating at all. You're just doing it for fun, aren't you?"

You gave a frustrated huff at that statement. "Yuri Plisetsky, you need to listen to me now, okay? Lilia has helped me with my figure skating so much I can't describe it in words. She's the only reason I won at my last Grand Prix Final. I owe pretty much my entire career to her. If you'll just listen to us and do what we say, you'll be able to say the same."

Yuri was definitely listening at this point. It felt a bit strange to get yelled at by someone other than Yakov, but what did he expect? He did give you several reasons for you to get mad at him and you'd only known each other for about five minutes.

"Fine. I'll take your word for it. But I'd like to get on with the lesson now and not have to hear any more lectures for the day. Can you tell me what I have to do?"

He could see you glare at him, but he acted like he didn't notice. "Now I can see why they call you the Russian punk. Anyways, let's move on. You don't know any ballet exercises, do you?" Yuri shook his head. "I thought so. Okay, after we finish warming up, we'll work on pliés."  
While you two were stretching, Yuri noticed how graceful you looked. You were only doing simple stretches, but you looked so peaceful and elegant while doing them. This must be what a true prima ballerina looks like, Yuri thought. 

If he was able to look that elegant and grateful, he might be able to win with Agape. If only he could really connect with it during the program. He'd been having trouble really feeling Agape whenever he practiced it, and it was at its worst during the skate-off.

"All right, that should do it!" you announced. "Now it's time for the real stuff. I think you'll be able to handle something harder than pliés for now. You definitely seem up for a challenge, that's for sure. But keep in mind that that can also hurt you."

Yuri rolled his eyes. As if he hadn't heard that at least a hundred times. "I'll let you learn relevés today," you continued. "It's still pretty easy, but bear with me here. So here's the first position."

You demonstrated all of the positions and several other exercises by the end of the class. Yuri had picked up on all of these very quickly. You knew he was going to be great at this, if only he decided to cooperate with his instructors.

The two of you met with Lilia after an hour of practice. "We finished the lesson, Ms. Baranovskaya. I think I taught him less than you wanted me to, but I'm sure he'll be able to easily pick up whatever you teach him."

Yuri wasn't expecting that at all. He thought you would tell Lilia about how he kept arguing with you and ignoring what you wanted him to do. Especially after…the incident.

Lilia looked closely at the two of you. "That's good news, (Y/N). Did he misbehave at all?" There it was. Yuri knew you'd tell her about all the annoying things you had to put up with from him. Not that he really cared, though. He could take a scolding from this hag.

"Not really. He was a bit disobedient at first, but it wasn't anything too bad. I think you'll have an okay time instructing him." 

That…was not what Yuri was expecting. At all. How could you possibly say that after all the crap you had to put up with? He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit disappointed. 

"All right. Well, I'm almost done with his practice outfit, so I'll give you two a little time to chat. Yuri, don't be rude to the girl." She then turned around and left.

"Yuri," you started, "you really weren't that bad to teach. I've had to put up with a lot from some of the younger kids at the studio, and this was nothing compared to that. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from the so-called 'Russian punk.'" You laughed jokingly, earned a growl from Yuri.

"Whatever. I wanna learn something a lot harder next time. The exercises you taught me were too easy. Don't think I didn't hear you when you told the hag you didn't teach me everything you were supposed to."

"Next time? You said that you want to learn something harder next time, right? So that means you are coming back after all? Lilia told me everything, so I know all about what happened before you came here."

Yuri groaned, frustrated that he made it seem like he enjoyed the lesson. He didn't. It wasn't fun at all. Especially because of the incident.

"You know, I was really looking forward to meeting you," you said. "I had heard all of these amazing things about you, how you were practically undefeated and bound to win in your senior debut. I hear people comparing us all the time. We're the junior divison prodigies. We're headed for greatness. I can't help but agree with them all."

Yuri felt a bit embarrassed at this. He'd always heard people compliment his skating, especially Viktor and his fangirls, but those compliments didn't seem genuine. They were either blatantly fake or they were obsessive. He'd never heard anyone other than his grandfather genuinely compliment his abilities.

"…Whatever. We're obviously going to win the Grand Prix Final. We're better than anybody else right now." Yuri said this, but he didn't really mean it. If that pig from Japan was able to beat him in a skate-off, many other skaters must be able to as well.

"We?" you questioned. "You've never even seen me skate in person before. How can you tell that I'm going to win?" 

"Because you've got that whole 'winner's vibe,' you know? You seem pretty confident and you're graceful even when you're just stretching how could you not win?"

That was…probably the cheesiest and most embarrassing thing he's ever said to anyone in his entire life. Yuri knew it was the right time to leave.

"Whatever. I'm leaving now. Tell Lilia I'm heading out with Yakov."

"Okay, Yuri. But when you come back tomorrow, can you promise me you won't walk in on me changing again?" 

Yuri could practically feel his face explode. He was sure his entire face, from his ears to his neck, was completely red now. He wouldn't let you look him in the eyes if his life depended on it.

"See ya," he muttered quickly before almost running to find Yakov. 

~

"How was it, Yuri?" Yakov asked while the two were driving back to the rink. "It wasn't too bad, right? I heard from Lilia that you seemed to enjoy it a little. That's strange."

"Ha, that old hag must be losing her mind then."

"So you're not going back tomorrow? I really think this will be good for you."

"…I wouldn't go that far. There's some stuff I want to learn before the Final."

Yakov cast a confused look in Yuri's direction. "Yuri, are you feeling alright? You never say things like that. Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What did you think of (Y/N)? I've only talked to her a couple times before, but she really looks up to you. I think you both could learn some things from each other."

She looked up to him? Yuri really had to give her some credit for how she was able to stay composed despite all that had happened. "She's fine, I guess. She said she didn't teach me everything she was supposed to today, so I don't think she did a good job."

"Yuri, she was probably just taking your current abilities into account. You're a male figure skater with no ballet experience in your life. Of course she's going to teach you less than usual."

"Whatever," Yuri mumbled. He didn't like the way you taught him, but he did admire what little he saw of your own abilities. You seemed to elegant and graceful the entire time. He wished he could be that type of skater. He wished he could see you like that more often.


	3. Yuri’s goals

The morning started out pretty typically for Yuri. He woke up, ate breakfast, brushed his hair, brushed his teeth, changed into his practice clothes, and headed to the rink with Yakov for morning practice.

He was extremely grateful that Lilia wasn't there. But then again, he wasn't exactly expecting her to be there. She must have some other classes to teach and students to instruct, right? He wasn't her top priority by any means.

Practice went well like usual. He nailed almost all of his jumps and his step sequences were flawless. But he noticed that his leg muscles were extremely sore. I must be practicing pretty hard, he thought.

After practice, Yuri went back to his room to check all of his social media pages. He wanted to find out what Viktor and the pig were up to. 

He checked Yuuri's profile first. The most recent picture was of him, Yuuri, and Viktor before the Hot Springs on Ice performance. Yuri seemed angry at having his picture taken by Viktor. Yuuri was smiling happily at the camera while Viktor winked and blew a kiss at it. The caption was, "Had so much fun at Hot Springs on Ice! I hope Yurio doesn't mind me posting this, lol."

Yuri scoffed when he read it. Of course I mind you posting this, he thought, I don't want my name associated with a pig like you. He commented, "The Grand Prix Final won't be as much fun for you~" 

Then he checked Viktor's profile. The recent picture was of him kissing Yuuri on the cheek. Yuri fake-gagged when he saw it. Yuuri was noticeably shocked and embarrassed by this, but Viktor obviously didn't mind every one of his fans seeing it. The caption was, "Guess which seeuctive katsudon is going to win the Grand Prix Final? Yuuri!"

Yuri grew extremely angry at this. He couldn't even try to stay humble, huh? In that case, Yuri was going to prove to them how he was going to win. He was the most talented. Of course he would win. There was no doubt in his mind that he would emerge victorious after the Final. 

Even though Yuri was thoroughly confident in his abilities, that last post still left him angry. Looks like Viktor didn't even care about him anymore. If the Yuri from past had heard known this, he probably would have been hurt. But the Yuri who knew this now was different. He was older and stronger than the Yuri from the past. He would prove that with his skating.

He looked at the clock on the wall. About two more hours until I have to go to that stupid ballet practice again, he thought. Instead of scrolling through Yuuri and Viktor's profiles like usual, he decided to go to YouTube this time.

He'd never used the app for anything other than rewatching some videos of himself skating before. When he watched these videos, he was more interested in hearing what the commentators had to say about how he skated. He's usually get angry when they said anything about him falling or messing up; they were supposed to make him look good. When they made comments like these, they just made him seem like a goof.

But he was on the app for a different purpose this time. He wanted to look up videos of you skating this time. You were going to be his practice partner for baller, so why not see how you skate?

He'd only seen snippets of you on the TV before. He would be waiting to watch other skaters' performances when you just happened to be on for a minute or two. Or he'd hear something about you on the news. Either way, you had always been there, he'd just never looked into it before.

But now that he had…wow. You were really amazing. He was finally able to see you skate all the way through. He watched the short program and free skate that landed you your last victory of the junior divisions. You landed all of your jumps perfectly. Your step sequence was flawless. You were in time with the music. The costume fit you perfectly. You looked like you were genuinely enjoying every second of it.

Yuri was impressed. He'd only seen a handful of skaters who were able to have perfect routines and be so focused on performing, all while still looking like they enjoyed it. Yuri knew he wasn't able to do that. He actually didn't even like skating the really hard routines. They tended to leave him exhausted and tired; why should he try to act like he enjoyed that?

After watching more videos of you skating and being interviewed for about an hour and a half, Yakov entered his room and told him it was time for practice with you and Lilia. 

~

It was strange seeing you in person for the second time. You still looked happy and calm like usual, but he saw you in a different light. He had some respect for you now, which he didn't really have for you before. 

"All right, Yuri," Lilia started before Yuri even walked through the front door, "I'll be instructing your lesson this time. (Y/N) will join you this time. She'll instruct you other times and sometimes she won't practice with you at all. She has to focus on her own career as well."

Yuri nodded. He didn't care. He'd practice whether you were here or not. "(Y/N), are you ready?" she continued. You nodded. "Good. If Yuri misbehaves too much, I'll let you go practice in another room."

You laughed. "I don't think that'll be necessary, Ms. Baranovskaya, but I appreciate your concern. I think Yuri won't be too much to handle. He's just a little rebellious, that's all." 

Yuri groaned. Back at it with the teasing, huh? 

"Come with me, you two. We're not going to waste any more time talking."

The room was exactly the same as Yuri remembered it. "To the barre," Lilia instructed. We'll be working on your flexibility this time. It's essential to both of your figure skating. (Y/N), show Yuri the fifth barre exercise you learned." 

You nodded and proceeded to go through the motions. You moved your feet closer together, put one hand on the barre, and outstretched your leg. You lifted it higher with your other hand until it was as straight as the foot on the ground."

Yuri was impressed, to say the least. You made it seem so effortless and simple. In reality, it had probably taken you many months until you had it mastered. Yuri knew he'd be able to learn it faster, but only because he had done similar moves in skating.

"This is a difficult move, Yuri, but I believe you can handle it," Lilia explained. 

Yuri rolled his eyes. Of course he could do it. It must not be too accurate at first, but he assumed it would only take him about a week at most to learn it. "Go ahead," she continued. "Copy it."

Yuri turned toward the barre. He copied the first few steps of yours. Feet together. One arm on the barre. He outstretched his right leg, feeling pretty confident. This seemed easier than he'd thought. Then he started to lift his leg higher and higher.

Nevermind, he thought, this is actually much harder than I imagined. He had only managed to do about half of what you did. He could see you smile at him in the mirror. You were trying to encourage him. But he didn't need encouragement, he could help himself.

"That's it," he said declaratively. 

"That's it?" Lilia questioned. "That's all you can do? That's as high as you can go?" 

"Yeah. Pretty much."

Lilia turned to you. "(Y/N), go practice in the other room. Work on the exercises I've been teaching you this week. I'm going to teach Yuri some things you've learned a long time ago that won't be of any help to you. Now move along."

You mouthed a small 'sorry' to Yuri and proceeded to walk out of the room. Before you left, you mouthed a 'good luck!' and gave him a thumbs-up. Yuri rolled his eyes and you and turned back to Lilia.

~

Practice was much longer and tiring than he night before. By the end of it, he wanted nothing more than to just go home and take a nap. But before he left, you approached him.

"Hey," you started, "sorry for leaving you back there. Lilia can be pretty scary when she's mad. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, Yuri, is there a reason you're so motivated to win the Final? I mean, obviously all skaters are since it's a huge victory, but you seem especially fired up about it. Why is that?"

Yuri usually hates interrogating questions like these, but he was too tired to argue right now. He thought it would be easier to just give you an answer than to try to shoo you away. "Well, there's someone I have to prove something to," he explained, referring to Viktor. "He made a promise to me a few years ago, but he's completely backed out on it. I'm going to prove to him that it was a mistake to leave me behind."

You nodded, urging him to continue. And so he did. "He had found this other skater at the last banquet that interested him. I don't know why, though. I think he's horrible at choosing people to be with."

"Then isn't it a good thing that he left you behind?" you said. "I mean, if he's always choosing the wrong people to be around, then isn't it good he didn't waste himself on someone good like you? I don't know who you're talking about, but he seems pretty rude." You laughed.

"I guess you're right," Yuri said. "I've completely given up on that guy now, so I don't even want him to fulfill that promise. I want to win to finally show him how stupid he is for always choosing the wrong people."

"I agree," you stated. "I know about most of the skaters in the senior division, but I don't think any of them are as good as you. Trust me, I've seen videos of you skate and they are absolutely amazing. Well, you should probably go before your coach gets mad. I'll go back to Lilia now. See you tomorrow, Yuri!"

"Uh…yeah, see you." 

The day hadn't been very kind to Yuri, but it sure seemed to brighten up quite a bit after that conversation.


	4. Yuri’s passion

It had been a about four days since Yuri started practicing at with you and Lilia. He had greatly improved since he started, which he expected. He hadn't gotten along with Lilia very well, of course, but he really felt a connection to you. You were both skaters whose fiery passion showed in their programs. You were both training under Lilia.

Yuri had never had a friend before, so he was a bit hesitant to call the relationship between the two of you a "friendship." Yuri considered you to be more of a "friendly acquaintance." 

Yakov and Lilia wanted to talk to you and Yuri one day, which made both of you worried. Lilia had as much influence on your skating as your primary coach, so she was allowed to make important decisions for you. This was why you were worried, because Lilia could have you do whatever she wanted.

Yuri was only worried because you were. Your nervous energy was enhancing his own, which he didn't much appreciate. But it's better to be in it together, right?  
You and Yuri were currently at the rink, facing a serious-looking Yakov and Lilia. They didn't seem to like being around each other, but their arguing obviously entertained one another.

Yakov was the first to speak. "Yuri, we've called you and (Y/N) over to talk about your free skate programs. Lilia and I have decided to link your two programs together, in a way."

Linking programs together? Yuri didn't like the sound of that. He already had his Agape program linked to Yuuri's Eros program, which he was definitely not happy about. Not only was he unable to truly feel Agape, but he also hated having his name associated with Yuuri's in any way.

"Are you serious? My short program is already linked to that pig from Japan! Are you trying to suggest that I have to have another program linked to someone else's? Why can't I just be myself?"

"That's the thing, Yuri," Lilia cut in. "You and (Y/N) are both prodigies of the junior division. You will debut as prodigies of the senior division. We need something to surprise the audience. I'm sure Viktor already told you a lot about that element of skating."

"Don't talk about that guy right now," Yuri growled. He could see you cast a curious glance in his direction. Looks like you had figured out who he was talking about a few nights ago.

"The audience will love to see the prodigies perform a linked program like Eros and Agape," Lilia continued. "The Grand Prix Finals are all about impressing the audience. In fact, that should be your priority for all competitions you compete in.

"Another thing you need to realize is that you and (Y/N) are very similar. Your Agape is the opposite of Yuuri Katsuki's Eros. Your and (Y/N)'s programs will be both thrilling and heartwarming. It'll make the fans cheer for you the entire time. If you both insist on doing your own programs, we won't push it. But we hope you at least consider it."

You and Yuri nodded. "Lilia and I need to talk about your practice," Yakov said. "We'll give you two some time to think about what we've decided." The coaches ten proceeded to leave.

You spoke up when it was just the two of you in the rink. "Yuri, I think it's a good idea. I mean, I get where you're coming from and all, but I really think it would be helpful to our careers. Plus, I think it'll be a good time to prove to Viktor that we're a much better duo than you and Yuuri."

So you had figured it out, huh? "I'm still not sure. I wanted this program to be mine and mine alone. I want to show the world just how strong Yuri Plisetsky can be."

You shook your head and laughed a little. "Of course you'll still be able to do that. It's still going to be your program, Yuri. And mine will still be mine. It'll just show how strong we are together. This will be your chance to prove to Viktor that he was wrong. If Agape was supposed to challenge you, then this new program will be what makes you shine. 

"If you still don't want to link the programs together, I get it. It's fine. But I really think Yakov and Lilia know what they're talking about. I agree with them wholeheartedly. If you wanted to rub your victory in Viktor's face, now's your chance."

Yakov and Lilia reentered the room. "Have you two reached a decision?" Yakov asked. "I don't have all day to wait for an answer from you both. The Grand Prix Final is going to happen sooner than you think and I'm sure some skaters have already have their programs choreographed and are practicing them as we speak."

You looked at Yuri, making eye contact with him. He knew you were telling him to accept the offer. But he didn't know if it was the right thing to do. He took one more look at you, your eyes practically begging him to make the right decision.  
That was when he knew what he needed to do.

"We'll do it." This earned a shocked look from you, but the coaches remained serious as ever. "We'll link the programs. But I'm counting on you two geezers to make sure they express us both and aren't just copies of each other."

The extra emphasis he put on "both" caused you to smile at him. He really seemed to care about you and your skating, even if he didn't show it often.

"I thought as much," Lilia said. "Yakov and I have already begun choreographing both of your programs. They aren't finished yet, so you two can add onto them if you'd like. You're also free to make any changes to the programs, but Yakov and I will have the final say on whether or not we'll allow those changes."

You and Yuri nodded. That seemed fair enough. You both knew that your coaches were to be trusted with the programs. They'd never let you down before and they weren't going to now.

"All right, then," Yakov started, "I already have the music prepared for your programs. Would you like to hear it now?" Yuri shrugged and you nodded. "Okay. Yuri, your song will be Allegro Appassionato in B Minor."

Yakov clicked a button on the small remote he was holding, which turned the radio on and started playing what was going to be Yuri's free skate song. After letting him listen to it for a while, Yakov turned it off.

"This song is about passion, Yuri. It's fast and it's strong. This song is a perfect fit for you, so I'm trusting you to perform it as I described. (Y/N), here is your song."  
The radio switched to Hungarion Dance No. 5, which was going to be your song. "(Y/N), this piece is also passionate, strong, and fast. But it comes with an undertone of elegance and calm. I hope you'll do your best to match that." 

You nodded. "I won't let you down." 

"Good. And Yuri, I hope I can hear the same from you. Now then, practice is over for the day. We'll start working on the programs intensely tomorrow. You two had better come prepared for it." Yakov walked off with Lilia following not far behind.

"Yuri," you turned to him and spoke, "I think this will be a great opportunity for us. I hope you're not too mad about the decision we made. I just thought it would make the audience happy. I've always cared about my fans a lot. You should at least talk to yours a little, you know?"

Yuri rolled his eyes at you. "They're so annoying, though. They always bother me with their screaming and squealing. They give me a headache."

You laughed at this. "Yuri, that's just their way of cheering you on. They're finally getting to meet their idol for the first time, show them some love! That could be the happiest moment of their life, you know? Wouldn't it be nice to make someone that happy?"

Yuri shrugged. "I dunno. Well, I'm gonna practice some more now. I know Yakov said we should rest, but–"

"I was planning on doing the same," you interrupted. "I'm just going to skate for a little while and then leave. Is that okay?" 

Yuri shrugged. "Go ahead." He was actually really looking forward to seeing you skate in person. He'd seen you dance and skate on television and videos, but never in front of him before.

You put on you skates and immediately moved to the center of the rink. You struck the beginning pose of your short program. Yuri had seen it many times now from rewatching videos of you performing it on TV. 

You continued to go through the motions of your program, moving as if you were painted a delicate picture you wanted the whole world to see. Your eyes held so much passion in them from the pure joy of skating. 

The first jump was a quad, which you nailed perfectly. Yuri didn't think he'd ever finished a jump with such precision. And before he knew it, you finished your program.

"So," you started, panting, "how was it?"

"How was it?" Yuri asked you incredulously. As if that was even a question. "It was amazing!"

Yuri had never given such a genuine compliment before. You really did work wonders on him.


	5. Yuri’s mistake

This was the day that you and Yuri were going to see the choreography of your programs for the first time. You trusted Yakov and Lilia to make another wonderful program, but Yuri didn't expect too much. He was almost certain they would be too similar.

"The base score for these programs are higher than anything either of you have skated to before," Lilia explained. "You're almost guaranteed to win the final if you skate it perfectly. That is, unless another skater has a higher base score and they perform perfectly as well."

"The programs have three quads each," Yakov continued from Lilia's explanation. "They will have several triples and other jumps as well. I'm sure you both know very well that it sounds a lot easier than it is."

You gave a knowing sigh while Yuri scoffed. I can pull it off, he thought confidently. 

"The reason Lilia and I didn't add in a fourth quad is because it would likely be too much for your bodies to handle. You're both very young and I know how much you want to win this but if you hurt yourself, then you're bound to fail. If you truly feel as though you can handle it, I'll allow you two to add a fourth quad in the second half of the program."

Yuri smirked. He's got this in the bag. You raised your hand, seeming a bit sheepish. Yuri looked over at you confusedly. 

"Yakov?" you questioned politely. "I don't know if that's a good idea. As much as I want to have four quads in a program, I'm not sure my body can handle that yet. And the same goes for Yuri. He's only being doing ballet for about a week now. I know it's optional, but I think you should wait to let us choose until you know for sure that we can make the decision on our own."

Yuri was appalled. You had finally been allowed to have four quads in your program, and you just turned it down like that? 

"(Y/N), are you stupid? Yakov and Lilia are letting us do four quads in a program! Do you have any idea how good that is for us? We could win this! We could actually win the entire Final if we pull it off! Maybe your fragile little body won't be able to handle jumping too much, but at least let me speak for myself! God, you're such an idiot!"

Yuri watched as the hurt showed on your face. He could see your eyes visibly start to water, but he didn't feel guilty. He couldn't think about your feelings right now. The only thing he could think about was winning.

"That's enough, you two!" Yakov yelled. "If you two way to spend your entire practice time arguing, then go ahead! But don't hold me accountable if you lose the Final." 

You and Yuri looked at each other. You shook your head disappointedly at him, but he just scoffed. He said what he thought, and he meant what he said. You were being an idiot. You were throwing away your chance at winning just because you didn't think you were ready to do that many jumps.

Yuri always pushed himself beyond his limits. He taught himself to ignore his limits and keep on skating, no matter how much his legs ached and his lungs burned. If it meant he'd win, he'd ignore his body's needs completely.

"You two aren't thinking reasonably," Lilia cut in. "This was merely a suggestion. We're not adding four quads to the choreography, but it's not off-limits for you to perform with it. You shouldn't fight over something that hasn't even happened yet."

Yuri knew she was right. He really wasn't thinking reasonably. But he wouldn't go back on what he said. He did think you were stupid for not taking this amazing opportunity, and he did think you were stupid for trying to take his away as well.

"It's time to start practice now," Yakov announced. "(Y/N), you can go with Lilia now for your practice." You nodded and waved goodbye to Yuri, though you still looked sad from the argument.

Yuri continued on with practice as usual, landing all of his quads.

~

Yuri was scrolling through his social media after practice when he got a text from Viktor.

"Yurio, Yuuri and I will be seeing you soon~ Won't it be nice to see us again?"  
Viktor was referring to the Rostelecom Cup, which Yuri had known about for a while. He was going to compete in it alon with that pig from Japan. 

Yuri texted back, "Yeah, it'll be nice to finally show that pig where he stands on the podium! Which is, last time I checked, nowhere."

Viktor continued on with the conversation, completely disregarding Yuri's rude comment. "I called Yakov the other day and he told me that you're having a lot of fun with that (Y/N) girl! Do you like her, by any chance?~"

Yuri rolled his eyes at the text. "Of course not! We're just…friends, I guess. But not right now, at least. Just stop annoying me, you old fart."

He didn't want Viktor to interrogate him any more after that, especially not about the third sentence. He'd never said he was friends with anyone before, but now Yuri didn't think they would even be on good terms after the argument they had before practice.

"What does that mean, Yurio? Did you and (Y/N) fight? It's okay, it happens to couples! You'll be angry at each other for a while, but then everything will go back to normal. Yuuri says hi, by the way!"

Yuri huffed, annoyed at Viktor trying to give him couple's therapy or something. He texted back. "Shut up. I told you, we're barely even friends. Don't you have something better to do, like have that pig worship you and tell you you're the greatest skater to ever live?"

Viktor didn't reply after that. Yuri assumed he had gone to tell Yuuri about the little text conversation he'd had with 'Yurio' just now. 

But this whole conversation got Yuri thinking. Were you even friends? Were you anything more than practice partners? If you were friends, did this mean you weren't friends anymore?   
All this thinking made Yuri's head hurt. He turned on the TV and watched some boring sitcom he had no interest in so he could take his mind off of everything.

~

Before he knew it, it was time for practice with Lilia again. This meant he would have to face you again, which he wasn't really keen on doing right now. He didn't want to admit that he was at fault and had reacted too quickly to the situation. 

"Hey, Yuri," you greeted when he entered the studio. "Lilia's talking with Yakov about our programs, so I have to instruct you today." You didn't seem to be your usual, cheery self, which made Yuri uncomfortable.

He was only used to seeing the happy, calm, and passionate sides of you. He'd never seen the melancholy, sad side of you before. And he didn't like it all that much.

"Hey, (Y/N), are we friends?" Yuri paused for a moment after he spoke. Did he really just say that? Did he really just ask you that? He can't just ask people if he's friends with them or n–

"Yeah, I think we are," you responded. "We've talked a lot about what we like, what are goals are, people we like and don't like, and all that. I'd consider us friends now. That is, if you want to be."

Wait, was that a question? Were you asking him to be friends? What was going on? Yuri had never been asked to be friends with someone before. Especially not after a fight. Who even became friends with someone after a fight?

"Uh…sure, I guess," Yuri responded. He tried to keep his voice as even as possible to hide how surprised he was. You giggled, able to easily notice how flustered he was. 

But then your expression turned serious again. "I really need to tell you something, Yuri," you said. "I was only trying to help you back there. I don't want you to ever hurt yourself while skating. I said that I didn't think four quads was a good idea because it could really hurt you if you messed up."

Yuri nodded. "I know that," he said. "I just don't want to be told what to do. I can make my own decision, you know. …I guess it was nice that you worried for me, though. But you'd better not think of treating me like a baby again, or I'm really going to get pissed next time!"

Yuri's face was noticeably red right now. He didn't even meant to say most of what he did, it just all slipped out. "L-let's just continue on with practice."

You laughed and smiled. He was cute when he was embarrassed. "Of course."


	6. Yuri’s doubt

The day of your and Yuri's first Pre-Grand Prix Final competitions had finally arrived. Yuri was in Skate Canada, while you were competing in the Cup of China. You would have to spend quite some time away from each other, but you made Yuri promise he'd Skype you every day.

And he kept his promise. He made sure to talk to you every day, updating you on his practices and anything interesting that occurred in your time away from each other. You also talked about these things, but you enjoyed hearing about what happened in his life more. 

But neither of you could talk to each other today, for you had to focus on your competitions. This competition could make or break your senior division career. You both knew you would qualify for the Finals, but you were still nervous.  
Anything could happen in these competitions. If you messed up just one time too many, it would be all over.

Yuri competed before you did. He performed to the best of his ability, and he still came in second. After all of his hard work, practice, and passion that he put into this program, he came in second.  
All because of JJ. 

That guy was the worst. He was arrogant, rude, annoying, cocky, and he took the win away from Yuri. If Yuri had won this competition, he would have won gold on his first competition of his senior debut.   
But that was all taken away from him because of JJ. That arrogant bastard. 

You, however, came in third. You just weren't feeling as connected to the program as you usually are. It might have been form the pressure, or maybe it was just an off day, but you came in third.

You definitely weren't proud of it, but it wasn't the end of the world. Even if you came in third at the next competition, you would still advance to the Final. 

The skaters who ranked above you were much better than you expected. They both were motivated in their own ways and for their own reasons. You weren't the only one who wanted to win more than anything.

After the Cup of China, you decided to talk to Yuuri Katsuki while you had the chance. You knew a lot of English so you could communicate in interviews and with other skaters, so you knew you'd be able to talk to him okay.

"Yuuri!" you called to the skater. He looked over and you and waved. You walked over to him and Viktor. 

"Congratulations!" you said. "You did a great job! Viktor, you're doing a great job as a coach."

Yuuri looked embarrassed, thanking you sheepishly. Viktor smiled and thanked you as well. "I'm (F/N) (L/N). I'm practicing with Yuri Plisetsky in Russia. He's told me a lot about you both."

Yuuri and Viktor looked at each other for a moment, then Viktor spoke to you. "They probably weren't very good things, were they?" You shook your head, laughing.

"Not really. But I'm sure you two are nice guys. Yuri just likes to exaggerate a bit. It was meeting you. I should get going now."

"It was nice to meet you, too, (Y/N)," Yuuri said. "Do you want to take a picture before you go?" 

Your eyes widened. "Really? Sure, I'd love to!" Viktor was already taking out his phone before you'd even accepted. He held it in front of the three of you, counting down form three. "Three, two, one…cheese!"

He snapped the picture and let you hug them both before you were on your way. 

~

The next day, you were able to Skype Yuri again. The day after, you were supposed to go back to Russia for practice with your coach and Lilia. 

"Hey Yuri!" you waved at the screen. Yuri gave you a greeting back, but he looked pretty dejected. You had to point this out, of course. You weren't just going to let him get away with being in a bad mood and not telling you what was wrong.

"Yuri, are you all right? You seem upset about something. Come on, you can tell me." Yuri sighed, shaking his head. 

"It's nothing," he responded, though it sounded really unconvincing. "Don't worry about it. Your competition was good, right? You came in third. You should be happy." He was obviously trying to change the subject right now.

In reality, Yuri was still upset about coming in second at the competition. He tried to use his usual coping method—scrolling through social media and stalking Viktor and Yuuri—but it only made him more upset when he saw the photo of you with Viktor and Yuuri.

You groaned. You were obviously not getting anywhere with trying to coax the answer out of him. You were going to make an accusation and he would either confirm it or deny it.

"Yuri, this is because you came in second, isn't it? That's really stupid. Second is amazing. You won second place in the first competition of your senior debut. You should feel happy for yourself."

Yuri shook his head. "Second place isn't good enough. I needed first place to make my name known. Nobody is going to care now. 'Yuri Plisetsky came in second for his senior debut.' 'Oh, wow, that's neeeever happened before!'"

You were really getting nowhere, huh? 

"Yuri, I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you that you really are an amazing skater. If you want to feel like you're horrible, then be my guest. But in my eyes and everyone else's, you're amazing."

There was a long moment of silence on Yuri's end, which made you wonder if the connection had dropped. But he moved and spoke again. "Fine. We'll just have to feel differently about it, then. Also, why did you talk to Viktor and the pig?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Why did I talk to them? Because Yuuri Katsuki came in second place and I wanted to congratulate him and Viktor for that achievement. You see, I even go out of my way to congratulate the guy who is your enemy because he came in second place. Do you see now how big of a deal that is?"

Yuri shook his head. "Whatever. I'm just glad you're happy with your score. I don't care where you rank as long as you're happy with it. If third place makes you happy, then I'm happy for you. Congrats."

You thanked him. "Hey, Yuri," you started, "why don't you like Yuuri? I know about the whole Hot Springs on Ice thing, but is there another reason?"

"Because he stole Viktor from me and he's not even grateful for it. He thinks he's some awful skater who can't win anything, but he got Viktor to fly all the way to Japan and go on break just to coach him. What an idiot!"

You laughed. "That sounded like a compliment, Yuri." Yuri scoffed at this. "Of course it's not. Well, Yakov's yelling at me, so I gotta go. See you."

You said your goodbyes and hung up. 

~

"Yurio! How was the competition? Was (Y/N) proud of you?" 

Yuri didn't even know why he accepted the phone call from Viktor in the first place. Maybe it was because he was talking about the guy with you just a little while ago. 

"Shut up. Why did you call me?"

"To congratulate you, of course! You came in second place, same as Yuuri! Are you celebrating right now? Wait, it's really late in Russia, isn't it? Why are you still up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Yuri sighed. "It's no big deal. I'm only looking forward to shoving my win at the Final in your face. And the pig's, of course. I doubt he'll get anything higher than fourth place!"

Yuri didn't really mean that last statement, but he wanted Viktor to get annoyed. He wanted Viktor to show some sign of disappointment or regret for choosing the pig instead of Yuri. 

But he didn't. 

"That's not very nice, Yurio~ But I'm pretty sure Yuuri's going to win. He's been practicing really hard and he's super motivated."

Yuri growled. "Shut up! I'm much better than that pig! I'll show you that I can beat him. I'll make you regret everything. I'll make my senior debut by winning the Grand Prix Final. You just wait and see, Viktor! You just wait!"

Viktor paused for a second and then spoke again. "Okay. Yurio, even if you win the Grand Prix Final and make history with your program, I'm still not going to regret choosing Yuuri. In my opinion, he's done a much better job than you have. Well, I have to go. I'm making breakfast for Yuuri now! Goodbye.”

What Viktor said made Yuri almost cry. It hurt him to think that even after all of his practice and training and conditioning, Viktor still didn't care about anything he did. It really hurt. 

Shut up, Yuri. It's no big deal. You're stronger than this. You're weak for even thinking about crying. You're not allowed to cry. If you cry, you're weak. You can't be weak. You need to show the world how strong you are.

And that he would. He would prove to everyone just how good he was. He'd remain strong and powerful and he'd win the Final, even if doing so made him push himself far beyond his limits.

He would win and make the world proud.

He would win and make Russia proud.

He would win and make his coaches proud.

He would win and make Viktor and Yuuri proud.

He would win and make his grandfather proud.

He would win and make you proud.


	7. Yuri’s kindness

You were finally back in Russia, which Yuri was very happy about. He'd been so bored when you weren't here. He'd never had an issue with being bored after a competition before, but that had obviously changed now that you were here. 

Maybe it was a good thing, though. It meant that he was having much more fun with you and he wasn't able to entertain himself with just his phone like he normally was. 

Yuri went with Yakov to the airport so they could pick you up after your flight arrived. You greeted Yuri with a bright smile and a hug, making his cheeks turn a bright shade of red. "Wh-what are you doing?!" he yelled in surprise. 

You laugh and looked at him happily, releasing him from the hug. "It's nice to see you again," you said. "It feels like it's been ages, but it's only been about a week. I'm really excited to practice with you again, Yuri. You've gotten so much better at ballet, it's really amazing. You amazed the whole world with your program."

Yuri shrugged, unsure. "I'm sure people with low standards would have liked it. Well, nothing good will come from worrying about it now. I'll just make sure it's much better next time. You'd better be cheering me on, (Y/N)." 

You laughed. "Of course I will. But you'd better perform your best for me. Beat that JJ jerk for me, okay?" 

Yuri scoffed. "Duh. I'll put JJ in his place at the Grand Prix Final. I'll show him what I'm really made of and I'll make him afraid of me. He's nowhere near as good as he thinks he is. It's just confidence alone that's motivating him. If he starts to get unsure, I bet he can get as bad a score as last place." 

"Really?" you asked. "I always thought he was really sure of himself. That must be to hide his insecurities, then. Yuri, as much as I want you to win, I don't want you to hurt anyone in the process. Win by talent and talent alone. Nothing else. Your win will mean nothing if it isn't due to your talent."

The conversation between you and Yuri made Yakov think of himself and Lilia when they were just falling in love. Lilia was an extremely talented ballerina, winning conpetitions left and right. She and Yakov fought a lot because they couldn't agree on much, but the things they did agree on brought them together.

They also cared for each other. Yakov would worry whenever Lilia suffered a small injury during her ballet practice, and Lilia would worry when Yakov got hurt. 

They supported each other. Even if they didn't think the goal was a good one, they would still support the other's decision and encourage them to achieve their goal.

Yakov could tell there was something different about Yuri after only a few days of his ballet lessons. Yuri seemed softer and more determined than before. He wasn't fueled by rage, but rather by passion now. He truly loved figure skating now and didn't just care about victory. He cared about the sport itself.

And it was because of you. Yakov knew this because if Yuri had only been training under Lilia, he would still be motivated by rage. It was you who taught him to move on from that and motivate himself with passion and love for the sport. 

He hoped that you or Yuri would eventually be brave enough to realize and tell the other that you were in love. He hoped it wouldn't end the way his and Lilia's did.

~

Viktor gave Yuri a call when he was practicing with you at the rink. Yuri answered, only because he knew Viktor wouldn't stop calling until he picked up.  
"What the hell, Viktor? I'm practicing with (Y/N) right now. This had better be important or I'm hanging up!"

Now would be a good time to mention that Yuri put Viktor on speaker to show you the stupid things that came out of that man's mouth. 

"Yurio!~ Yakov gave me some gossip about you. He told me not to tell, but I think you should know. He said that he thinks you like (Y/N). I know I tease you about that all the time, but is it true? I thought it might be, but if Yakov is saying it as well, then maybe…"

Yuri wanted to hang up right now. He really did. But he knew he had to answer Viktor. He wouldn't be left alone by him or you if he didn't answer.

"I don't know, Viktor. Even if I did and even if I didn't, it's none of your business. You're way too open about your relationships. Not everyone is like that. Just drop it."

He hung up after that and shook his head. "That guy…I really hate him." He looked over at you, who gave him a knowing look.

"I get it," you said. "He shouldn't be asking you things like that. He shouldn't ask anyone things like that. Just don't let it get to you, okay? It's not a big deal."

Yuri nodded. "Yeah. It's not a big deal, but he's just so…annoying! He keeps calling me and he asks me every day if we're dating. Sometimes, he skips that part and will just refer to you as my girlfriend. He just needs to mind his own business."

~

The next day, you and Yuri were told that you would be having dinner with Yakov, Lilia, and your coach. This could go several different waysbecause all of the coaches weren't very social, to say the least.

When the time came, you and Yuri dressed less casually than usual. The restaurant wasn't anything fancy or glamorous, but it wasn't casual either. The coaches dressed up a bit as well.

The night when smoothly at first. The reason the dinner was scheduled in the first place was because the coaches wanted to get more familiar with each other and talk about the programs for the competitions.

"Obviously, (Y/N) and Yuri are going to make it to the Grand Prix Final," Yakov said. "We just need to make sure they practice the free programs more. They're a bit rough around the edges, but they almost have he highest base score of all of the skaters."

Your coach was Nikolai Orlov, a very well-known figure skating coach who has coached many Olympic medalists, some of which have even won gold. He wasn't very happy to hear that Yakov and Lilia hadn't created a program for you that had the highest base score of all competitors. 

"And why is that? Why doesn't (Y/N) have the highest base score? She can handle all of the jumps you throw her way. I'm going to need you to alter her program. Add another quad in the second half. She can handle it.”

You looked down at your food, not wanting to get involved. Yuri noticed this and squeezed your hand under the table reassuringly. 

"We're not sure if (Y/N) and Yuri are ready for that yet," Lilia said. "Four quads in a single program is a lot for a fifteen-year-old to handle. I'm sure they'll be able to handle it next season, but not this one. They're just not ready for it yet."

Your coach got mad. Very mad. "Are you suggesting that (Y/N) can't handle it? I don't care if she can't handle it, she's going to do it anyway. Either she wins, or she'll be punished for losing and then learn to win. It's up to her to choose which she wants to do."

"Fine," Lilia stated. "Let's let her decide. (Y/N), do you think you're ready for this?"   
You looked up from your food, obviously worried about what's you would say. If you said you were ready, you could end up hurting yourself and disappointing Yakov and Lilia. If you said you weren't ready, you could lose the Final and disappoint your coach. 

"Um…I-I…I think…" Yuri could see how nervous you were. You were so terrified to answer either way. The had to interrupt.

"Are you guys nuts?!" He yelled, earning questioning looks from other people in the restaurant. "Let her choose later! She doesn't have to answer now, on some weird short-notice dinner. She's perfectly capable of making a decision on her own. If she wants to do it, she'll do it. If she doesn't, she doesn't. Just let it go!"

The coaches were shocked. They never expected Yuri to stand up for you in such a way. Yuri could see the shock on their faces as they tried to process what just happened.

"Yuri," Yakov spoke up, "you're right. (Y/N) should choose for herself. And so should you. This isn't a conversation that needs to happen. It's up to the kids to decide what they want to do with their programs. Even if they don't do a fourth quad, they'll still be able to win. It's just what they want to do."

Your coach grumbled. "(Y/N), if you want to throw away your chance at victory, be my guest. I don't have to coach you. I don't have to make you win. You're the one who makes the final decision, so it's all up to you whether you win or not."

The night might not have gone like anyone wanted, but you were very happy that Yuri stood up for you. You didn't think he'd do something like that, and neither did he.

Yuri had a much sweeter side to him that he didn't like to show to people.


	8. Yuri’s fever

Yuri woke up feeling a bit strange the next day. He had a headache and his throat felt a bit sore, but he couldn't be getting sick. He didn't have time to get sick. He had to practice and get ready for the Final, no matter what.

When he got down to the rink, he noticed you were there with your coach. He walked up to you, wondering what you two were talking about. "(Y/N), are you talking about your program?"

You nodded and explained why you were here. This wasn't the rink you usually practiced at; you only came here to discuss issues concerning the Grand Prix Final with Yakov and Lilia.

"Yakov wanted me to practice here today," you explained. "Orlov agreed to it. He said it would be better if we practiced together from now on, since our programs are linked." Yuri noticed you looking at him curiously. "Yuri, are you feeling okay? You look a little out of it."

It took Yuri a few seconds to process the question. "I'm fine," he said, a bit unconvincingly. "I was just confused. Well, it's nice that you're practicing here. I think it'll be easier to practice our programs from now on."

You nodded, still looking at him strangely. He knew you wanted to say something to him, but you apparently decided to hold your tongue. "Yeah," you said slowly. "It'll be nice. But we should take it easy today since it's the first time we're actually practicing at the same rink." 

He knew what you meant by that. You were trying to get him to practice less intensely than usual because you thought he seemed off today. 

But he wouldn't, because he needed to practice for the Final. If he took too many breaks, he'd never beat JJ or the pig from Japan. So he had to practice as hard as he could, even if it meant pushing himself past his limits.

"Okay," he said. "Let's take it easy today." By no means did he actually mean what he said. He only said it so as to not worry you. The last thing he needed was you bothering him today. He already had a headache, he didn't need you to make it worse.

Practice started about ten minutes later, when you were done talking with your coach. Yuri had already started warming up, starting with his basic stretches. You joined in shortly after and continued with practice.

Yuri really wasn't feeling it today. He realized this about halfway into practice. He was always able to get through more than half of practice without feeling tired, but he already felt exhausted and it had barely been thirty minutes. 

You noticed this and told him not to overdo it. "Yuri, you seem pretty tired. How about we take a break now? It'll just be five minutes. Let's just get some water and continue with practice right after." 

Yuri shook his head. "No. I'm not tired. Let's just continue. You're wasting practice time by talking, you know. Don't you want to get better for the Final?"

You crossed your arms and raised and eyebrow at Yuri. "I think you're the only one who needs to focus on getting better," you said. "Not skill-wise, of course. I think you're sick. You seemed tired when you came here and now your cheeks are red, you seem dizzy, and you're exhausted thirty minutes into practice. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's enough to make me think you're sick, don't you?"

You were right about all of it. He was trying his best not to show that he was betting dizzy, but the ground seemed to tilt slightly every time a moved. It was getting harder and harder to pretend that he was fine, but he was going to finish practice no matter what.

"You're wrong," he answered. "I feel fine. I want to continue with practice. If you don't want to, then you can leave. But I'm going to finish it."

Easier said than done, he soon realized. You agreed to stay and practice with him until it was time to stop. Yuri started feeling progressively worse as time went by. 

About fifteen minutes later, he began practicing quads. He kept telling himself that if he could make it through this part of practice, he could finally relax. 

But when he tried a quadruple salchow, he messed up the landing. Not only that, but he couldn't seem to get back up. The whole rink was tilting back and forth now, making him even dizzier. 

He could just barely hear you calling his name when his vision turned black.

~

Yuri woke up in his bed. The first thing he noticed was that it was extremely cold. He tried pulling the covers up more, but they did little to nothing to help. 

The cloth on his forehead wasn't helping, either. That was the coldest thing right now and he just wanted to take it off. But he barely had enough energy to move right now. All he wanted was to go to sleep again.

Then he heard someone say, "Oh! He's awake!" That someone rushed to the side of his bed, giving him a worried look. Or what he assumed was a worried look. He couldn't really make sense of anything right now.

"Yuri, how are you feeling?" That was a girl's voice. He knew who it belonged to, but he just couldn't picture it right now. He remembered the voice asked him a question. How was he feeling?

"Cold," he said weakly. He tried to pull up he covers once more, but they once again did nothing to help warm him. 

The person beside his bed brushed a few strands of hair away from his face. "I'm sorry, Yuri, but you can't get any warmer," the voice said sympathetically.   
"You have a fever. It's really high. If it gets higher, we might need to take you to the hospital. So just bear with me, okay?"

Yuri nodded. Or at least he thought he did. He wasn't really sure. The voice spoke again, "You fainted at practice, Yuri. Do you remember that at all?"

He wasn't sure. He remembered something about the rink tilting. He really felt like he was going to fall back then. "I think so," he responded. "I dunno…"

The voice gave him a small smile. "That's good. Do you want anything? Any medicine, water, tea, anything?"

Yuri thought for a moment. His throat hurt a bit, but it wasn't bad enough to need medicine for that. He did want some water, though. "Water…"

The person nodded. "All right," they said, "I'll be right back." Yuri really hoped they came back, because he didn't want to be alone right now. He didn't want to world to tilt again and make him feel like he was going to fall off the earth.

"I'm back," the voice said. "Here's some water, Yuri. Do you think you can sit up?" Yuri tried. He sat up slowly, trying to balance himself and make sure he didn't fall down again.

The person smiled and put the bottle of water to his lips. He drank several large gulps of water before laying back down. He still felt cold, but it wasn't as bad as before.

"Thanks," he slurred. The person only smiled and stroked his hair. This reminded him of when he got sick when he was little and his grandfather would take care of him.

He hadn't seen his grandfather in a while. He hadn't come to see any of Yuri's competitions yet, which made him sad. He really wanted his grandfather to see him perform. He'd always loved watching Yuri skate, so why hasn't he come?

"Grandpa," Yuri said after a few minutes. 

"Where's grandpa?" The person who gave him water gave him a sympathetic look.

"He's not here right now, Yuri," they said. "You're in your room. Your grandfather's at his home right now. You'll see him soon, though, don't worry. He'll be coming to see you compete at the Grand Prix Final soon. He'll be cheering for you from the stands."

Yuri nodded. He still wanted his grandfather, but he knew he wasn't here. He didn't want to call him either because he didn't want to worry the man. "I'm tired," Yuri said.

The person nodded. "Good. You need to rest. Go to sleep, Yuri. I'll be right here when you wake up. Just focus on gettin better for now, okay?"

That person must be an angel because nobody had ever been that kind to him before.

~

"Yuri? Yuri." He was woken up by the same person. He didn't feel as cold as before, but he still felt awful. At least he had this person to help him with things.

"What?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he woke up. "I'm tired. I wanna go back to sleep."

He now recognized the person as you. He could clearly see you kneeling on the floor beside his bed, trying to talk to him. So it had been you this whole time, huh?

"You need to eat something," you said to him. "It's almost midnight and you've only had breakfast so far. Yakov told me to tell you."

Of course he did. He was sleeping so peacefully, too, but his coach just had to tell you to wake him up.

"Do you want some soup? You should eat something that's light on the stomach." That would probably be best, he thought to himself. But he didn't like soup, so he'd need to eat something else.

"I don't like soup," he said. "I want crackers. And I want my phone. Where is it?" He heard you laugh. That's weird. He didn't remember saying anything funny. Was a funny show on the TV or something?

"You already seem like you're feeling better," you said. "That's the Yuri I know! Here's you're phone," you said, handing it to him. "It was under your pillow, but I didn't want it to get wet from the cloth, so I took it for a while."

Yuri grumbled something that you couldn't hear. But you didn't want to hear Yuri's insults anyway, so you didn't particularly care. "I'll be back with some crackers," you said. "Just stay here."

~

Yuri was feeling much better the next morning. His throat was the only thing that still bothered him, so he kept some throat lozenges with him just in case. 

Yakov and Lilia told him he wasn't allowed to practice at all that day. This made Yuri very mad, but it wasn't like he had the energy to argue with them, much less practice in the first place.

He was still allowed to do some basic stretches and warmup exercises, but nothing on the ice until Yakov and Lilia said he could practice normally again. 

"I still need to practice," he said to you while you were practicing at the rink. "It feels awful standing here on the sidelines while I'm forced to watch you practice your program."

You rolled your eyes at him. "Yuri, you're silly. You had a 39° fever yesterday, but you still want to practice. You're not going to be able to practice at all if you push yourself and make yourself sicker, you know."

"Whatever," he said. "I'm going to push myself tomorrow, then. I've gotta make up for lost time, you know. I missed almost two whole days of practice. I'm never going to beat JJ at this rate."

You shrugged. "I'm not so sure about that. Maybe not at the Rostelecom Cup, but definitely at the Grand Prix Final. You just need to learn that you can't come in first place every time, Yuri. It's just not possible."

Yuri grumbled at that. "I don't care. I'll make sure I put JJ and that pig from Japan in their place at the Final. They'll regret ever doubting me when they see just how talented I am." 

You smiled and laughed. "I agree."

Yakov and Lilia entered the rink at that moment. "Yuri, you had better not be thinking about practicing in your condition," Yakov said. "If you push yourself and make it worse, you'll be useless."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "I know that already," he said, uninterested. "(Y/N) gave me the whole lecture a minute ago. I'd like to live a day without hearing one of you scold me."

"And that day will come when you win the Grand Prix Final and are modest about it," Lilia declared. "You're one of my most argumentative students, but you're also one of the most talented. Work on your attitude and you'll be loved by everyone."

"I'm not interested in being loved," Yuri said. "I just want the world to be proud of (Y/N) and me. Even if we have the worst attitudes in all of Russia, people will still be proud of us. Won't they, (Y/N)?"

You gave a sheepish smile. "I actually agree with Lilia on this one. I think it's important to remain humble. People might be proud of us, but I'd appreciate it if they liked us as well."

Yuri grumbled. "I trusted you, (Y/N)."

Everyone laughed at this.


	9. Yuri’s feelings

It was finally time for the Rostelecom Cup. Yuri was excited about winning this cup and being able to qualify for the Grand Prix Final, but he wasn't so happy about seeing Viktor and Yuuri again.

He didn't want you getting close to those two and he made it as clear as possible. He'd tell you blatantly to your face, "I don't want you talking to Viktor or the pig. Okay?" Obviously you wanted to know why, since they seemed to be pretty decent people.

"It's not that I don't want you to talk to them, really, it's just…they'll annoy and bother you to no end. You have no idea how annoying it is to be around them for more than ten minutes. And trust me, you don't want to find out."

You knew Yuri was over exaggerating. You had gotten used to his complaining about Viktor and Yuuri, but you really didn't think they were as bad as Yuri said. At this point, you found out is was better to just agree with him on these things rather than getting into a huge argument.

Since the next competition was in Russia, you and Yuri didn't have to travel far at all. The other skaters that we're going to be competiting in the Rostelecom Cup already booked their hotels. Some were already in Russia, so they could get used to the country and go sightseeing before the competition.

You and Yuri flew out to your hotel about four days before the competition. It was far enough to need a plane to take you there. Yuri was going to be picked up by his grandfather when he arrived, but you were being taken to your hotel by your coach. You waved goodbye to each other before going your separate ways.

Yuri was so excited to see his grandfather. He hadn't seen him in so long, or at least it felt like he hadn't. Being greeted by him and given his homemade pirozhkis reminded him of when he was younger and about to compete in a tough competition. 

His grandfather always made it to those, no matter how far away. But he wasn't always able to now. He either had other things to do, didn't have the money, or was too sick to go. Yuri used to get mad about it, but he understood it now. Sometimes things just didn't work out and he had learned to deal with that.

The drive wasn't long—which Yuri was a bit upset about since he didn't get to see his grandfather all the time anymore—so Yuri didn't get as tired as he normally would on a long car ride.

Yuri was able to get ready quickly and say goodbye to his grandfather for the time being. At least he'd be there for the competition. 

A lot of other skaters were arriving, Yuri noticed. A lot of them had already arrived. Yuri knew they'd either have much less practice time than the skaters who were arriving soon, or they'd just practice at a local rink. 

Just four days before the competition, like you and Yuri, Viktor and Yuuri arrived in Russia. This was about the same time as the other skaters, but they were a bit later than most of them. 

This was a big deal for you and Yuri, because they had requested for all four of you to join them for dinner the day they arrived. Normally, Yuri would have made an excuse or flat-out told them he didn't want to go, but you said it would be a good idea.

"I really want to go, Yuri!" you said enthusiastically. "They were really nice last time I saw them. I know how you feel about them, so I won't force you to go if you don't want to. But I want to, so I'm going."

And of course Yuri would go if you were going. He didn't want those two doing anything weird to you while you were with them. Beside, it would be good for publicity. Your fans would think it's amazing that you were having dinner with the figure skating legend Viktor Nikiforov and the skater he's training.

You had already gotten the details on what restaurant you would meet up at and if it was fancy or casual. It was casual, thankfully. Yuri really didn't feel like dressing up now, he only had one or two things in his closet that were considered "fancy." 

You and Yuri met up with Viktor and Yuuri that evening. You greeted the two with a warm smile, waving at them. "It's really nice to see you guys again," you said after everyone sat down at a table. "I wish you both the best of luck for the competition."

"Thank you, (Y/N)," Yuuri said. "That means a lot. I know you're rooting for Yurio to win, but I'm still happy to hear you say that." You had picked up on Yuuri and Viktor referring to Yuri as "Yurio," so you decided to do the same to make the conversation more easy to understand.

"Yes, I may want Yurio to win, but I still want to see you perform as best as you can, Yuuri. I love your Eros performance, by the way. It's a perfect counterpart to Agape."

"Th-thank you," Yuuri said shyly. "But it really is all Viktor's work. He choreographed the performance and encouraged me so I could really connect to the program."

"I know that," you said, "but you made it your own. It wouldn't be the same if Viktor, Yurio, or I performed it. Viktor did play a huge part in it–" Viktor looked happy to hear the compliment, "–but you made it perfect. Just like Yurio did with Agape."

"Speaking of Yurio," Viktor cut in, "I want you to know that you're really important to him, (Y/N). I'm not teasing you guys this time, I'll save that for after the competition, I really mean it. Yurio's never really had a friend before, so it's something fairly new to him. Just take care of him, okay?"

"Of course, Viktor," you agreed. "I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise." As touched as Yuri was with this conversation, it was starting to embarrass him. He decided now was definitely the time to cut in.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not even here, okay?" he snapped. "I'm sure you two love talking about all this sappy, cheesy crap but I sure don't. Just talk about something else, would ya?"

"But Yurio, I'm sure you knew you wouldn't like what we were going to talk about before you came here," Viktor said. "I'm actually surprised you even came in the first place. Why did you come?"

"Because (Y/N) wanted to," Yuri responded, unamused. "She wanted to see you two idiots for some reason and I couldn't just leave her alone with weirdos like you. Who knows what could happen if I'm not there?"

"That's actually really sweet, Yurio," Yuuri said. "It sounds like you really care about (Y/N)." 

"It's so cute!" Viktor said. "My little Yurio is finally growing up! He's even got himself a girlfriend. It's so adorable! And look, he's blushing!" Viktor pointed at Yuri's cheeks which, to Yuri, felt like they were on fire.

"Shut up!" Yuri yelled, but not loudly enough to attract the attention from other diners. "I'm seriously sick of hearing all this teasing from you, Viktor. It might have been a little funny at first, but you need to stop now!"

"Oh, all right," Viktor said disappointedly. "Well, can you at least tell me about the time you two first met? In person, not watching each other skate on TV, of course."

Yuri didn't mind this topic. It wasn't so bad. "Well, Yakov told me I was going to train under Lilia. I went to the studio and Lilia introduced me to her. She seemed nice and all, but I didn't think we'd become friends or anything. It just kinda happened."

"A-actually," you cut in, looking weirdly embarrassed, "that's not really it. I don't know if you remember, Yurio, but we met once before that. Just a few minutes before. Do you get what I'm talking about?"

Yuri felt his cheeks flush once more. He didn't want to remember that. He didn't want you telling Viktor and Yuuri that. He purposely told them the "real" first time you met so that he could avoid this conversation.

"What do you mean, (Y/N)?" Viktor asked. "You've got me interested now. You've gotta tell me. Tell me, tell me!" he whined.

"W-well, I know Yurio doesn't want me to, but it's not right to just leave you hanging like this either," you said. Viktor nodded in agreement.

"Um…I was in the studio's changing room getting ready to meet Yurio, my new practice partner, when the door opened. It was Yurio. He thought the studio was the room I was in. B-but he closed the door immediately and said sorry, so it's okay! It wasn't really a big deal!"

Viktor burst out laughing while Yuuri just chuckled nervously. You didn't blame him, it was a pretty awkward conversation, after all. "That's hilarious!" Viktor said, still laughing like he just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Yurio, I can't believe you did that! You can't just talk in on a lady changing!"

"It's not like I wanted to!" Yurio protested. "Lilia never told me which door was the studio, so I just assumed, okay? Like (Y/N) said, it wasn't a big deal!"

Things calmed down shortly after that. The four of you finished eating and had normal conversations after that. When you were finished, you and Yuri headed back to the hotel with Viktor and Yuuri. 

They shared a room, but the two of you had separate ones. Yakov didn't approve of any of his skaters sharing rooms, even if they were of the same gender.

Yuri settled into his room later. It was about 11:00 at night and he felt badly about not being able to practice at all. He only had about three full days of practice between when he'd gotten sick and now. He felt restless. Usually he'd practice or play on his phone for a while if he was bored.

He got a call from Viktor, which snapped him out of his thoughts. He didn't mind talking to the guy now. It was better than being bored, he decided. "What do you want?" he asked when he answered the call.

"Yurio, I want to talk to you for real, okay? They say people are always more honest at night time, you know. First of all, I'm calling because I really want to know. I'm not trying to annoy or embarrass you this time, so please take me seriously."

Viktor didn't usually make serious requests like this. He'd only had these serious conversations with Yurio when he was talking about going on break and when he wanted to give Yuri advice for the senior divisions.

"Okay, Viktor," Yuri said. "I'm listening. Ask whatever you want. But if it's weird, I'm hanging up immediately, got it?" 

Viktor gave a hum of confirmation. "You can hang up if you want. But I need to ask you this. You've changed a long since you met (Y/N). For real. You're braver now, but you're also a lot softer. You've changed for the better and I'm almost positive it's because of (Y/N). You didn't answer me seriously last time, so I'm asking again. Do you have feelings for (Y/N)?"

Yuri really had to think about this for a moment. He didn't want to answer in front of you last time, so he just avoided the question. He always felt better when you were around. He was bored when you weren't with him. He thought about you for a large part of the day. He'd never had feelings for someone before, but this had to be it.

"…I think I do," he answered softly. He almost regretted answering it, since it was Viktor he was talking to. But he needed to tell someone. "I really think I do. But Viktor, please don't tell anyone. I'm also making a serious request. Let me tell people if I want to. You can keep this a secret, right?"

"Like my life depends on it," Viktor said. "It feels better to tell someone about it, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Yuri laughed, feeling great about finally realizing his true feelings for you. 

"It really does."


	10. Yuri’s worry

The talk with Viktor last night didn't change anything for Yuri. Well, it did help him realize things, but he would still act the same around everyone else. He didn't want to seem weird around you and make you think something was wrong.

The last thing he wanted to do was distract you before the Rostelecom Cup. Both of you needed to focus on your programs and you needed to get ready for everything. 

As prepared as Yuri was, he wasn't completely confident yet. He didn't know what would happen. Anything could go wrong in a competition, and he was just trying to stop anything bad from happening before the Rostelecom.

It was sort of a superstition of skaters. They would always be more careful in the days preceding a big event. That's exactly what you and Yuri were doing. You didn't want anything to happen before it was your time to perform.

Before you even knew it, day of the competition arrived. At least the two of you would compete in the same area this time. 

You felt pretty prepared for this. You had your programs memorized and you were sure you were going to win this time. Coming in third place only motivated you to get first place even more. 

Yuri, however, was very worried. He seemed the same on the outside, but he was freaking out on the inside. He knew that if he didn't come in at least second, he'd have no chance of beating JJ or the pig. He didn't worry about the other competitors as much. They didn't stand out to him at all.

At least his grandfather would be there. He'd finally be able to perform Agape for him, the person who was his inspiration for the program. He wouldn't be able to perform Agape perfectly without his grandfather there. 

Yuri never wanted to do Agape in the first place. It was only to beat Yuuri and have Viktor help him make the best senior debut possible. But when he really connected the piece to his grandfather, he didn't hate it as much. But he needed his grandfather to be there for this.

You were perfectly fine on your own. It always helped to have fans and friends cheer for you, but you could perform perfectly without them. It just didn't feel the same to you to have no one cheer you on. You'd much prefer to have your friends and fans there, but it wouldn't make a difference to your performance.

You were skating before Yuri, like usual. 

You were dressed in your costume for your short program, choreographed by Lilia and your coach. It wasn't nearly as important to you as your free skate, though. Your free skate resonated with you because it represented how similar you and Yuri were and how powerful you could be together.

Your short program was about elegance. It incorporated several ballet moves into it, which made your flexibility stand out. Anyone who was watching would be able to see how you fit it perfectly.

Your outfit was all white. There was a bit of glitter in the front to make it stand out, but you preferred how it looked without all the glitter. The outfit was also a bit shorter than most, since you needed to move more freely.

Before it was your turn to perform, you talked to Yuri for a few brief minutes. 

"Wish me luck out there," you said. "Watch me closely, okay? I'll show you how much Lilia's coaching pays off. And you'd better show me that, too." You gave him a wink before turning away and skating to the center of the ice.

Yuri had seen you skate many times before and he was always amazed by it. 

Your movements seemed to fluid and natural, despite you having to practice them over and over again to make them seem that way.

The jumps were practically flawless. The only mistake you made was when you touched a hand to the ice to steady yourself after a quadruple Lutz. Yuri clapped after it anyway. 

You ended the program with a beautiful pose. You were out of breath by the end of it, but you still smiled while striking your final pose. You seemed so genuinely happy right now.

Then it was time for you to head over to the kiss and cry to see your score. Yuri couldn't go with you because he had to prepare for his own performance, but he really hoped you would get a high score. 

You were the last one competiting in the ladies' singles category, your score would be final until it was time for the free skate. Whatever place you were in, you still had a chance to bring it up, or even down.

Your score was 97.64, which currently out you in second place. The only skater whose score was higher than yours right now was a skater from Japan. Her score was 97.92. You only missed first place by a tiny margin. 

It's still amazing, though. You were guaranteed a spot in the Grand Prix Final at this rate. You almost couldn't mess it up if you tried. 

You gave a wave to Yuri, who was warming up on the ice. He seemed pretty confident in himself, you noticed. You hoped things would stay that way up until it was his time to perform.

You eventually changed into normal clothes and sat in the stands so you could watch Yuri's performance. Just in time, too. He was about to go on. 

You could see Yakov and Lilia talking to him about something. Yuri didn't seem to be listening. He was much too still. He would usually give a few annoyed nods or he'd even try to ignore them. But he didn't seem to even hear them this time. 

You hoped it wasn't anything too serious.  
But it was serious. Yuri could feel his heartbeat accelerate. He could feel his breathing quicken. He couldn't even hear Yakov and Lilia no matter how hard he tried. 

His grandfather wasn't coming to watch him after all. He couldn't make it. Yuri wasn't given any details about it, which made him even more worried. 

How could he perform now when he didn't even know if his grandfather was okay? Was he sick? Was he in an accident? Was it something simple like he didn't have the time to make it? Yuri had no idea, and that's what worried him.

And now, because his grandfather wasn't here, he was sure he'd mess up. He'd never done as well when his grandfather wasn't there to cheer him on and support him. He knew he'd fail.

If he failed this and the free skate, he'd lose his chance to compete at the Grand Prix Final. The voice of the announcer on loudspeakers is what finally snapped him out of it. "Yuri Plisetsky performing 'Agape!'"

He could hear the audience cheer for him as he skated to the center of the ice. He wasn't feeling Agape now, either. But he needed to try to. He had to.

You could see how much Yuri was struggling. He was nowhere near as graceful as usual, which worried you. Was he okay? Did something happen? 

Most skaters would have anxiety right before a big performance. You and Yuri were no exception. But this wasn't normal. Yuri seemed worried. His mind was nome where else, not on his performance. 

You shook your head. He wasn't going to score as highly as he'd want to, so he'd push himself in the free skate. Yuri picked up the pace and got it together halfway through the performance, so it wouldn't be bad. In fact, it was still amazing despite everything.

Yuri's score was 98.09, which put him right after Yuuri Katsuki. He wasn't going to be happy about that, but it is what it is. He couldn't change the score now, he could only do better in the free skate.

Then JJ performed. He made a personal best and beat both Yuuri Katsuki's and Yuri Plisetsky's scores. This meant Yuri was in third place now. He really wasn't going to be pleased, was he?

But it wasn't as bad as you thought. You met up with Yuri shortly after his performance and gave him a huge hug. 

"Yuri, you were amazing out there! You got such a high score! I know you're not happy about being in third place, but there's still time to bring it up."

"Yeah, there is," Yuri agreed. "Now I really want to beat those two morons. They won't think it'll be easy to beat me when they see my free skate." 

You smiled and nodded at that. But you lost your smile when you remembered how he acted before his program. "Yuri, you seemed really weird before getting on the ice. Did something happen? You can tell me anything, you know."

Yuri seemed a bit hesitant, but he gave a sigh and decided to tell you. "My grandfather couldn't make it. He's not going to see my free skate, either. I know it's not his fault, but I'm still upset that he couldn't come. I really wanted him to see me perform."

You nodded and gave a soft smile. "I see, I understand. My parents aren't able to come see me unless I'm in a really big competition. They just can't afford to fly everywhere all the time. I'm sure he'll come to see you at the Final. I bet he wouldn't miss it for the world."

This made Yuri feel a bit better. "Thanks, (Y/N). Well, you've obviously got nothing to worry about since you're less than a point away from that other girl. She's not even better than you, though! You can easily take her down with your free skate."

"Yuri, thank you so, so much!" you exclaimed. "It really means a lot to me." You heard a horn honk and jumped at the sudden loud noise. "Oh, it's just Mila. She's giving me a ride back to the hotel. Yakov's not far behind, so you won't have to wait for much longer. Oh, and one more thing."

You leaned in closer to Yuri and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "It's for good luck," you smiled. "You'll perform your free skate amazingly. You have nothing to worry about, Yuri. I'll see you later!"

Yuri knew his face was as red as a tomato. He could even see Mila laughing from inside her car. 

What were you thinking? Why would you do that? Did you have any idea how flustered that made him? Especially now that he realized his feelings for you. He hoped that little kids on the cheek didn't mean anything.

But then again…he did want it to mean something.


	11. Yuri’s kiss

Before the free program segment of be Rostelecom Cup, you, Yuri, and the rest of Yakov's team were approached by a frantic-looking Viktor.

Yuri really didn't want to talk to this guy now. It always put him in a bad mood, no matter what they were talkin about. And now that he looked worried, he knew it wasn't exactly going to be a very happy topic of conversation.

"Yakov, I need you to do something for me," Viktor said desperately. "Please be Yuuri's coach for tomorrow! M-Makkachin's had an accident and I have to fly to Japan right away. I know this is sudden, but it's an emergency."

This really was sudden, Yuri thought. It made sense that Viktor would want Yakov to be a replacement coach for Yuuri for the time being, but shouldn't he have told them that a little sooner?

"Couldn't you have given us earlier notice or something?" Yuri asked, annoyed. "I don't want to be rink mates with that pig, even if he's an unofficial one."

You put a hand on Yuri's shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. "It's fine, Yuri. Let Yakov handle this. If Viktor's dog had an accident, it makes sense that he'd want to make sure he's okay as soon as possible. You'd want to do that if your cat was hurt, wouldn't you?"

Yuri couldn't argue with that, although he really wanted to.

"Vitya, this is really sudden," Yakov said. "I don't know about this."

"Please, Yakov," Viktor begged. "This is very important right now. If Yuuri doesn't have a coach, he'll probably be disqualified and he won't make it to the Grand Prix Final. If that happens, everything we've worked for until now would be for nothing. And if Makkachin doesn't make it, I don't know what I'll do!"

Viktor looked close to tears now. Yuri actually felt kind of bad for the guy now. He just wanted Yakov to be a replacement coach for the day so Yuuri didn't get disqualified. It wasn't such a big deal, now that he thought about it.

"Okay, Vitya," Yakov agreed. "I can see how important this is to you. All right, I'll be his coach for the day. And only for today, no longer. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Viktor said. "Thank you so much, Yakov. I don't know what I would have done without you. Yuuri won't give you any trouble, I promise!"

Yuri really hoped he didn't, because he'd be suffering from Yakov's wrath along with Yuuri. And so would you, because you were now training under Yakov as well as your own coach. Yuri would take Yakov yelling at him, but he wouldn't let him yell at you. He'd be the one yelling at Yakov if that happened.

Viktor went back to Yuuri, telling him that everything worked out okay and that Yakov would now be his coach for the day. Yuuri nodded, looking understanding, albeit pretty nervous.

It was going to be your turn to skate very soon now. You and Yuri went your separate ways once more, you going to the rink and Yuri going to warm up for his own free program.

He wouldn't be able to see your performance this time because he needed to get ready for his own. He wasn't warmed up enough for it and he wasted valuable practice time waiting for Viktor and Yakov to stop talking. 

He felt much less worried than last time. He felt confident in himself now. He was sure he would be able to beat Yuuri. Yuuri wasn't anywhere near as talented as him and now that Viktor was gone and he was worrying about Viktor's dog, his mental state wasn't very good either.

Yuri didn't mind taking advantage of the situation this time. He needed to beat him in order to make him afraid. No figure skater would be intimidating by a 15-year-old skater who was just now competing in the senior division. He needed to plant that fear in their minds, and he would do it now.

Yuri could hear applause from the audience as you finished your performance. Once again, you were the final skater in the ladies' singles category, so your ranking would be final. He really hoped you'd come in first.

He had to get on the ice now to warm up there. He actually wanted to go there as soon as possible to see hat your score was. But you came up to him first, hugging him when he was walking to the rink.

"Yuri, I came in first!" you exclaimed happily. "Oh, this is amazing! It's my first gold medal of the senior division. It's not even the Final yet, and I still feel so happy. Now you only have to worry about getting higher than fifth place, but that obviously won't be hard. Aim for gold, Yuri!"

Yuri laughed, raising an eyebrow at you. "You sure are excited, aren't you? You should save it for the Final. You're advancing now, aren't you? You should save all of your excitement for when you win the Grand Prix Final. That's when we really need to celebrate."

Yuri had to say goodbye to you, since it was time to warm up on the ice. He was already in his costume and was trying to get himself connected to the performance. 

He had no idea how this would turn out. Yakov was going to be Yuuri Katsuki's coach for the day. Viktor was flying back to Japan to make sure his dog was all right. You had come in first place. You were advancing to the Grand Prix Final.

Yuri would have been overwhelmed by the events of the day, had he not been focusing so intensely on his program. He had to focus on this to make sure he would win, so that was exactly what he was doing.

Then it was his turn to perform. He envisioned his passion, which was currently skating. But there were also images of you flashing in his mind while he performed. He didn't try to stop those images from surfaces in his head.

If you were part of his passion, he'd think about you to help him with his performance. He envisioned everything from winning the Final to seeing your smiling face and holding your hand. He really wanted you to be proud of him, more than anything else.

He ended the performance intensely. He wanted to make the performance stand out to the audience members. He wanted them to think that this was the best performance they'd seen all night, no matter if he came in first or dead last. 

He went to the kiss and cry after his performance, awaiting his score. He was in first place! But there was still one more skater left: JJ. 

Oh, how he loathed the guy. He was arrogant, and cocky, and self-centered, and rude, and he stole his chance at first place at Skate Canada. 

Yuri didn't know how well JJ would place. He hoped he'd come in last, but he knew that wasn't possible. JJ would never come in last. Unlike most guys who would make themselves look good and brag about how they'd definitely come in first, JJ could hold true to his words.

And Yuri hated that. But what he hated even more was that it was his turn to perform his program. And what he hated even more than that, was that it ended up beating his.

Once again, Yuri had lost to JJ. 

But he couldn't even argue with it this time. He knew JJ had beaten him fair and square, which made him even angrier. JJ performed flawlessly once again, earning him a golden ticket to the Grand Prix Final.

Yuri had still come in second place, which meant that he would advance to the Final along with you. You were competiting against the best of the best now, so he really hoped you could stand up to the challenge.

But the same could be said for him. He'd have to beat some of the top figure skaters from all around the world. The ones he wasn't 100% sure he could beat were JJ, Yuuri Katsuki, and Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan.

He hadn't heard much about this Otabek guy before, but he sure seemed like a fierce competitor. He was another skater who was basically guaranteed to be in the Grand Prix Final from the start, so he wanted to see this guy in person.

But right now, he had to focus on you. He needed to congratulate you for finally coming in first place. He didn't mind that, but once again, he wasn't the happiest about coming in second.

It was dark outside when he went to talk to you. The stars were really bright and the moon seemed to illuminate the whole city. Yuri really loved Russia; no matter how much of it he had seen, he always fell in love with it over and over again.

"Hey (Y/N)," he greeted. "It's great that you came in first. But don't think this makes you better than me, we're still tied since you came in third place the first time!" 

You laughed. "Yeah, I guess we are. You've gotta beat JJ, though. That guy annoys me so much. He seems way too full of himself. I get that you're supposed to be confident in your abilities, but he really takes it to another level."

Yuri agreed with you wholeheartedly. JJ was a jerk. But he wasn't focusing on that right now, he was focusing on how beautiful you looked. 

You weren't wearing the makeup for your free program anymore. Your eyes were so bright and glowing, both from happiness and the light of the city. Your cheeks and nose were flushed pink from the cold, which Yuri found absolutely adorable.

"Yuri?" you spoke up. "I'm really proud of you. I know I say this every time you finish a program, but I really am. You never fail to surprise me, you know? So I want to surprise you as well."

Before Yuri even knew what was happening, you leaned into him. You closed your eyes as you pressed your soft lips against his. Yuri's eyes widened and his face turned a shade of red he didn't think it could even turn.

It was everything he wanted from you and more, and it was happening right now. Yuri still thought it felt like a dream; the lights of the city and the moon shining on the two of you as you shared your first kiss after a competition.

This was Yuri's first kiss. He'd hardly even thought of kissing someone before, but he never thought it would be such a good feeling. He wanted it to last longer, but your lips eventually pulled away from his.

"Congratulations, Yuri," you said, smiling. "I'm really proud of you."


	12. Yuri’s gift

Yuri had no idea how to feel after the kiss from the night before. He should have been mad at you for it, for not even asking him first, for stealing his first kiss like that. But he wasn't mad. He was only happy.

 

He was really, really happy. He finally had his first kiss, and it was with you, the person he liked. To have his first kiss with his best and only friend, Yuri was ecstatic.

Yuri was the type to think about where his actions would lead him in the future. After the phone call with Viktor, he thought about what would happen if this turned out to be a crush and nothing more. 

He knew that if it turned out like that, his future self would look back on this and remember you as his first crush. He didn't think that was a bad thing, so he didn't try to fight it and deny that he liked you, though he never admitted to you that he liked you either.

Then Yuri thought about what his future self would think about the kiss. He'd probably think it was a really good thing, because even if his feelings for you subsided, it would still be a good thing that he was able to kiss the person he liked and have that be his first kiss.

But it was now time for practice, which meant he would have to face you again after everything that just transpired. It reminded him of the first time he saw you, which was when he walked in on you changing in Lilia's studio.

He was so embarrassed, he couldn't look you in the eyes when you introduced yourself to him. Sometimes it felt like the universe just had to keep reminded him of that moment over and over again.

"Hey Yuri!" you called when he entered the rink. You were always there earlier than him, no matter how fast he got ready or how early he woke up that day to go to practice. 

He he greeted you back, waving. He put on his skates and got on the ice, waiting for instructions for practice from Yakov and Lilia. Sure enough, Yakov spoke up.

"I know that yesterday was a big deal for the two of you," Yakov said, "just don't let it distract you from practice. And don't think this means you're guaranteed to win the Grand Prix Final. Practicing hard is the only way to win."

Yuri knew that wasn't entirely true. So many more elements went into winning competitions than just practicing hard. You had to be dedicated and determined, but still remaining humble when need be. You had to have passion for the sport and genuinely enjoy skating. You were the one who taught him that.

At this point, Yuri didn't want to be a prima ballerina anymore. He just wanted to be himself, but have the skills of a prima ballerina. He didn't want to become one anymore, he just wanted to incorporate the style into his programs. 

You were still performing your routines perfectly. You almost never failed a jump and you were working on increasing your stamina to add more jumps in your routines. You never grew tired of hearing the music for your free program, though you heard it so often now.

Yuri wasn't a huge fan of classical music, but his piece spoke to him. He connected with the piece almost immediately. It made him feel like he could be strong enough and graceful enough to win the Grand Prix Final.

"Now then, let's get on with practice," Lilia said.

~

Practice went well, like usual. You and Yuri didn't miss any jumps this time, which was a sign that you were improving a lot. Normally, you'd miss at least one jump during practice, but you managed to nail them all this time. The same went for Yuri.

Despite how embarrassed Yuri was feeling that morning, he didn't have a hard time talking to you. In fact, he acted pretty much the same. Skating always made the world around him fade; the only thing he could focus on when he was on the ice was performing perfectly.

All skaters had a different feelin when getting on the ice, but the feeling of the world fading around you when you skate is a feeling all skaters have experienced sometime in their lives. 

Yuri got a phone call later that day in the afternoon. He groaned, thinking it would be Viktor. But when he looked at the caller ID, it was actually Yuuri. Or "katsudon" in Yuri's contacts. 

He answered the call, greeting Yuuri with, "Whaddya want?" He really didn't like talking with Yuuri. He could tolerate Viktor, but only for short periods of time. If this conversation went over five minutes, Yuri would surely get a headache.

"Hey, Yurio," Yuuri spoke on the other end. "Viktor and I are still in Russia. We're leaving tomorrow, so we wanted to know if you'd like to go shopping with us today before we left. It's all right if you don't want to come, I just thought I'd ask." 

Yuri, who was taking off his skates while you were finishing up practice, held the phone away from his mouth and asked you, "(Y/N), the pig and the jerk are going shopping and want me to go with them. I'm only going if you go!"

You smiled and nodded. "Sure! It sounds fun. Yuuri and Viktor are nice guys, in my opinion. Tell them I said hi!"

Yuri grumbled but continued talking to Yuuri. "I guess I'll go. I'm taking (Y/N) with me, though." He could hear Yuuri laugh on the other end. 

"Well, when I asked you to come, I already assumed you'd get (Y/N) to come as well. You two are hardly ever apart nowadays. It's actually sort of cute. I'm glad you've made a friend, Yurio."

That made Yuri wonder if Viktor had told Yuuri about his feelings for you or not. He specifically told him not to tell anyone, but obviously Yuuri would be the exception. He actually regretted telling the old man now.

"W-whatever. We'll be there. Bye." The two said their goodbyes and hung up. Yuri was left feeling a little awkward about the whole thing. 

As much as he loved going shopping, Yuri didn't really have the money to buy anything he wanted right now. He made some money from skating, but most of it goes to Yakov and Lilia. He gives the rest to his grandfather.

Of course he'd never tell anyone that despite being a gold medalist figure skater, he didn't really have the money for things he wanted. He'd get little gifts from his fans and his grandfather (though he told him not to waste his money on him), but nothing major anymore.

His phone and laptop were gifts from his grandfather. He insisted that he didn't need them and that his grandfather should just save his money for things he actually needed, rather than gifts for his grandson. 

Yuri didn't want to spend any of his money going shopping, so he decided he would mostly just walk around the store with everyone else. He doubted you'd buy anything either, so that made him feel a bit better.

~

You and Yuri met up with Yuuri and Viktor at the mall. Yuuri had some trouble reading what was on some signs, so you or Viktor would help him out. Yuri thought it was hilarious how "the pig couldn't even read," though he knew very well that Russian wasn't an easy language for him.

Halfway through the shopping trip, Yuuri and Viktor bought a few items. Most of them were just souvenirs for Yuuri to take home to Japan with him, but a few were simple things like mugs and phone cases.

Yuri was getting a bit tired of walking around some mall, watching other people buy things while he just stood there. You didn't buy anything either, only because you didn't really like what was in the stores you went to.

Viktor later said, "Yuuri and I are going to this store for a second," he said. "Yurio and (Y/N), you guys can just wait out here. We won't be long, I promise."

Yuri didn't really mind at this point. It was nice to get away from those to for a while, even though he did agree to go on this little trip with them. You put your hand on his shoulder, giving him a little smile.

"This is fun," you said. "I'm always so busy with practice, I never have any time to just hang out with people and relax. It might not be the most exciting trip ever, but it's nice, isn't it?"

Yuri shrugged. "I guess. It's no big deal. I just came because I thought you might want to. You like those guys for some reason, so why not? I didn't have anything better to do." 

You laughed. You were used to Yuri's little excuses at this point, so you knew to just let it go and not push any further. "I guess so. Oh, looks like they're done." 

Viktor or and Yuuri emerged from the store, holding a new bag with the store's logo on it. They obviously didn't buy much here, since the bag they brought out was much smaller than the ones from other stores they'd visited.

"Hey guys," Viktor greeted as he came out of the store. "I don't think I told you this before, but congratulations on doing so well at the Rostelecom Cup. I hope you'll keep giving your best effort at practice until the Final."

Yuuri nodded in agreement with Viktor. "Yeah, you both did so well. Yurio, I know you don't like getting second place, but you really did do a good job. Viktor and I even bought something for you to show you that we're proud."

Viktor opened the little bag, revealing a framed photograph. It was of you and Yuri at the rink when both of you went back to Russia after the Cup of China and Skate Canada. 

Yuri had an arm wrapped around you as you held up a peace sign, winking at the camera. This was one of the few pictures in which Yuri smiled. He usually hated getting pictures taken of himself, so finding a picture of him smiling would be very difficult.

"Do you like it?" Viktor asked. "I asked Yakov to send me a picture of you and (Y/N) and this was what he sent me. I loved it so much that I kept it! Isn't it adorable?" 

"…This is for me?" Yuri asked, still surprised. "Why? I didn't even win anything. I only came in second place twice so far. I haven't even come in first place this entire time. Why are you guys giving me a gift?" 

Yuuri smiled. "It's because we're proud of you for getting second place those two times. It's hard first coming into the senior division and you've already gotten yourself on the podium."

"How much should I pay you back for this?" Yuri asked. "The photo frame is really nice, so it must have been pretty expensive."

Viktor shook his head, laughing a little. "Yurio, it's a gift. You don't need to pay us back. It's a gift to remind you of all the amazing things you can accomplish. It's your first year in the senior divisions and you've already made a friend and made it on the podium twice."

Yuri looked down at the photo again. He really liked it. It was one of the only times he smiled genuinely in a photo (or in general, really) and when he realized that it was you who made him smile like that, he fell in love with you all over again.

"Thank you," he said softly.


	13. Yuri’s advice

You and Yuri agree on some things, and you disagree on some things. Most of the time, it feels like you disagree more than you agree. But Yuri soon realized that the one thing you could never agree on, no matter how much you wanted to, was what movie to watch.

Viktor and Yuuri were leaving for Japan that day, but they wanted to squeeze in some time for you and Yuri before they had to go. Their flight was much later at night anyway, so it wouldn't be a problem for them to stay for just a few hours.

They asked Yuri for his permission to stay in his hotel room for a little while to watch a movie with the two of you. Yuri begrudgingly agreed, but only because you reminded him of how much fun he usually has when they're around.

You actually used the word "friends" do describe Yuri's relationship with Yuuri and Viktor, to which Yuri corrected you and told you they were just acquaintances. You were his only friend; he hated those two idiots.

Everythinf was fine for the first few minutes of Yuuri and Viktor being there with the two of you. Everyone talked about how they'd miss seeing each other for a while (Yuri didn't add to the conversation) and how much fun it would be to meet again at the Grand Prix Final.

Then Viktor decided it was time to watch a movie. He thought it would be easy to choose a movie everyone liked, because everyone likes at least one movie. But he was oh, so wrong.

He first listed some Russian movies, but Yuuri said he couldn't watch those because he couldn't understand fluent Russian and there weren't any English or Japanese subtitles. So then Viktor had to find a movie that was in English.

That wasn't so bad. All of you could speak fluent English and you've all seen several movies in English, so it wasn't a big deal.

Viktor first suggested seeing a romance movie. You and Yuuri said it would be fine, but Yuri said "no way in hell," but with some more expletives.

Then Viktor suggested seeing a drama movie. That would be fine, right? Everyone's okay with seeing some sort of drama movie. But Yuuri said he wasn't in the mood for something really serious like that and you agreed. Yuri actually wanted to see a drama, but there were still more genres.

What about a comedy movie? Yuri said he wanted something darker. He actually suggested a horror movie, but no one really wanted to see a horror movie at this time. 

Now ow it was getting ridiculous. No one could even agree on a genre, so you all just decided not to see a movie. "That's too bad," Viktor complained, pouting. "I was looking forward to seeing a movie with Yurio and (Y/N)-chan."

"'(Y/N)-chan?'" you asked. "What does that mean? I've never heard you use that word before, Viktor."

Viktor smiled. "It's something they say in Japan!" he explained happily. "Yuuri told me about it. It's like a nickname. We were watching an anime and I didn't know what it meant when they added those words to the end of someone's name. But it's cute, so I like using it!"

"Yeah, Viktor's pretty into anime now," Yuuri said. "I like it and all, but Viktor's actually sort of obsessed at this point. I almost regret showing it to him." Yuuri laughed nervously.

"Those are the cartoons, right?" you asked. "I like those! I used to see some when I was little, but I didn't even know they were anime until recently. I haven't had any time to watch them because of practice, but I think they're pretty neat."

"Cartoons? I like cartoons," Yuri mumbled. And then Viktor realized something that could probably save the entire "movie night" that was almost cancelled.

"I have an idea!" Viktor blurted out. "That's something everyone here likes, or at least tolerates, right? So why don't we watch an anime instead? They have English subtitles, so we can understand it."

Everyone agreed, or at least they didn't feel like arguing about what to watch instead. So the day was saved because Viktor called you by a nickname he learned from being in Japan for so long. 

~

Viktor and Yuuui were getting ready to leave about an hour and a half later. But before they went, Yuuri asked Yuri if he could talk to him. Yuri agreed, albeit hesitantly, and heard what he had to say.

You and Viktor were off talking about one of the shows you watched just now, so it gave the two plenty of privacy to talk. "Yurio, Viktor told me something a while ago that I think I can help you with," Yuiri said. 

Oh no. Yuri wasn't going to like this, was he? "He told me that you had feelings for (Y/N). Honestly I thought he was joking at first, but when I saw you and (Y/N) together, you really seemed to be much happier. I know you don't want me butting in, but I really want you two to be happy." Yuri rolled his eyes, but let the man continue.

"I think you should confess to her. I'm pretty sure she likes you too, because she always smiles when you're around. She's usually pretty calm, but she's always so happy and energetic when you're with her. I think you should take the risk and confess to her soon. Only do it when you know it's the right time, though. I don't want to force you into anything."

"Who says I'll even take your 'advice' in the first place, pig?" Yuri argued. But in all honesty, he did like Yuuri was helping him. He hadn't even thought of confessing until just now, but it seemed like a good idea. If only he could work up the courage to do so.

"It's just a suggestion," Yuuri said. "I don't mind if you take my advice or not, I just hope everything works out for the two of you. You're obviously really happy together, so I hope you'll at least be friends for a really long time." 

"Yuuri!" Viktor interrupted. "Can we go now? The airport's so far away and we're going to be late!" Yuuri laughed. They weren't actually going to be late, Viktor was just excited to go back to Japan and see Yuuri's family again.

"Have a safe trip," you said, waving as they walked out the door. "We'll see you soon! Good luck at the Grand Prix Final, you guys!"

Viktor nodded. "Make sure Yurio doesn't get into too much trouble, okay (Y/N)? You know how teenage boys are, always managing to get themselves in sticky situations. We'll see you soon. Bye bye!"

Yuri wasn't very pleased about what Viktor said about him, but it didn't bother him as much as it usually would. He had a pretty good time with Viktor and Yuuri, though they still managed to get on his nerves.

~

"Yuri, I bet you're excited for the Grand Prix Final," Mila said to Yuri when they were boarding the plane back to St. Petersburg with the rest of Yakov's team. "You want to impress (Y/N), right? I'm sure she'll be amazed when she sees you perform. You think about her when you skate, don't you?"

Yuri growled. "Shut up, hag! Obviously I'm pumped for the Final, but it's not because of anything you think it is. Now leave me alone!" He didn't like other people getting in his business, especially people like Mila.

"Aww, you're so cute, Yuri!" Mila squealed. "I can tell you really like (Y/N). Oh, I remember when I wanted to skate my very best for the guy I liked! He was so nice and handsome and he made me feel so happy. Yuri, I think you should tell (Y/N) how you feel. If she doesn't like you back, nothing bad will happen, you know?"

"What makes you say that?" Yuri asked. "If I tell her I like her and she doesn't feel the same, I'd make a fool of myself and we wouldn't be friends anymore. She's the only friend I've ever had, you hag, I don't want to risk losing her because of some cheesy crap you said to me. Now leave me alone, I want to relax before I get on the plane."

Yuri walked away from Mila, going back to get his suitcase from Yakov. Mila shook her head, sighing. 

_I was in your shoes once, Yuri, Mila thought. I should have confessed to the guy I liked back then. But I waited too long and I never got the chance. He changed coaches and moved all the way across the country, so I never got to see him again. I hope you make the right decision, Yuri. No one can do it but you._


	14. Yuri’s future

There was only a little time left before the Grand Prix Final now. You and Yuri had about a week left of practice before you had to fly to Barcelona for the Final and you were both trying to work in as much practice time as you could.

You were really looking forward to going to Barcelona. You've never been before, but it seemed like a super fun trip to go on. Of course, you'd only have a day or two to relax and explore there, so you were going to try to do as much as you possibly could there.

Yuri, however, didn't really care too much about Barcelona. It was just another place he had to travel to for skating. He had never really gone on vacations before, only trips that had something to do with skating. 

People tend to be jealous of how often skaters travel to other places, but you and Yuri know very well that you don't really get to do a lot of sightseeing and adventuring when you're there. The schedule is basically just go there, compete, and come back.

You were trying to get Yuri as excited for Barcelona as you were. You told him it would be a fun trip to go on and that you'd drag him around even if he didn't want to go anywhere. Yuri couldn't really argue with that because he knew you would hold true to your word.

Yakov and Lilia were really working you hard at practice these days. Even Yuri admitted he felt a little tired afterwards, and he didn't even want to admit he was tired when he was sick and ended up passing out. You were exhausted, but you were still determined to keep going.

You didn't really have a motive to win the Grand Prix Final at first. When you realized you'd be in the senior divisions this year, you thought it would be interesting to have more of a challenge. You didn't think about what you would want to do if you won. You didn't think about why you even wanted to win in the first place.

But that all changed when Yuri came into your life. He made skating seem so much more fun and enjoyable than before. You always liked skating, of course, but Yuri made it exciting for you. He was also the first friend you've ever had.

You never really had time to make friends when you were younger because of skating. You started at a really young age and you weren't able to develop good social skills until a while later. The same went for Yuri, but you sometimes question if he even learned his social skills.

When Yuri became your friend, you had a reason to skate. You had something you wanted to accomplish; you had something you were willing to do anything for to achieve. You wanted to make your friend proud.

Yuri was never one to give out compliments easily. He would only do so if someone like Yakov or his grandfather told him to. Yuri felt like a challenge to you. You wanted him to be impressed by your skating abilities. You wanted him to acknowledge just how amazing you were. And you knew winning the Grand Prix Final would be the way to do that.

Right now, you and Yuri were just finishing up practice after three hours and you were talking to Yuri about your plans for the future. 

"Since skating won't last forever, I'm going to have to choose a new career afterwards," you said. "I think I'd like to be a teacher or a doctor. Just something that can help people. I do figure skating because it's my passion and I love it, but it's still just a sport. I want to have a job where I can really help others after my skating career is over. What do you think you want to do, Yuri?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I'm not going to think about any of that just yet. If I start thinking about the future, I'll lose focus on my skating. I don't want that to happen. I need to put all of my attention towards skating right now. I won't think about anything like that until after my entire career is over and I'm never able to skate again."

Then it sort of hit Yuri. There would be a day when he could no longer skate at all. No matter how much he wanted to or tried. Even if it wasn't an injury and was just old age, it would still anger him more than anything. 

"I won't stop skating until I'm psychically unable to keep doing it," Yuri said. "It's one of the only things I care about. If that's taken away from me, then I'll just have to find something else I like. My grandpa's gotten me to try other sports and hobbies, but I've never liked any of them. Figure skating is the only one I really like."

You nodded. "I see. Well, that's understandable. I have some other things I like to do, but nothing compares to skating for me. And there's nothing that I can make a career out of. Man, this is a bit sad now that I think about it."

"Then stop thinking about all the sad crap," Yuri said. "We're going to the Grand Prix Final and that's what's happening now. We still have another ten years left of competitive skating, at least. I doubt we'll have any injuries that'll make us quit earlier than that since we're pretty careful."

You laughed at this. "Yuri, you aren't careful at all! You prioritize skating over your own health. You're fine with getting injured as long as it doesn't stop you from competing. You do realize that, right?"

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm still pretty careful compared to other skaters. And that's just how guys are. The female figure skaters always stop practicing once they get a little hurt. They're just not as competitive as the guys."

You crossed your arms, raising a brow at that statement. "Yuri, do you have any idea what you're talking about? We're just as competitive and in it to win it as the male skaters are. And before you call us 'dainty,' just know that I'm probably more muscular than you." 

Yuri just shrugged. "Fine. I didn't say that to get in an argument anyway. Hey, (Y/N), I've been meaning to ask you something." This caught your attention. That wasn't in a playful tone. Yuri sounded pretty serious. You told him you were listening and waited for him to continue.

"The night of the Rostelecom after we realized we were going to the Grand Prix Final, why did you, you know…kiss…me?" Yuri wasn't able to say that without his cheeks turning a shade of pink. But he noticed yours did as well, which he thought was absolutely adorable.

"Well, who knows?" you said. "Maybe it was excitement, maybe it was as congratulations, or maybe it was something else. Who knows?"

That made Yuri even more curious than before, but he knew better than to push for an answer. Sure, it was a big deal for him, but if you didn't want to answer, he wouldn't force you to.

"O-okay, I see," he said, although he didn't really understand your reasoning for not answering. Why couldn't you just tell him? Why was it such a secret if you were the one who did it to him in the first place?

"Yuri, I'm so excited about going to Barcelona," you said. "I want to go explore with you when we're there. I already asked Yakov if we could wander around without his supervision, and he said that was all right. He just told us not to go too far. Please, Yuri, please go sightseeing with me when we get there? Pleeeeaassee?" You whined and gave him your best puppy eyes.

Yuri definitely couldn't say no to you now. You looked so cute, pouting with those wide eyes. "F-fine," he agreed, "but don't think I'm going to act like I enjoy it. I hate sightseeing, but I'm doing this so you'll stop annoying me." 

You gasped and looked up at him. "Really? Do you mean it? Will you really go with me? Yay! Thank you so much, Yuri! I thought I was going to have to beg so much more to get you to agree with me, but I'm glad it worked out like this."

Yuri couldn't say he minded either. He was actually looking forward to the whole thing, even if he didn't act like it. 

After the whole talk about what you both would do in the future, Yuri learned to value what he was doing in the present. Figure skating always felt to him like it would last forever, but he knew that wasn't the case. But because he realized he wouldn't be able to skate forever, he learned that he should value each moment of his skating career all the more.


	15. Yuri’s grandfather

There were only a few days left before you, Yuri, and the rest of Yakov's team were going to fly to Barcelona. You only had about two days left to practice in Russia. The rest would have to be done in Barcelona at a local rink. Yuri wasn't looking forward to that, but you didn't mind local rinks.

Going to local rinks meant people who liked skating would be there. People who liked skating tended to follow whatever happened in the skating world. Right now, you and Yuri were a big deal. 

Two fifteen-year-old skaters, nearly sixteen now, who were both gold medalists from the junior divisions, were going to be competing at the Grand Prix Final in the senior division for the first time. This was a big deal in the skating world. 

You had people who were cheering you on, and there were people who didn't want you to even come close to first place. Most people were just excited to see how this would play out and didn't really want you two to come in any specific place. 

Practicing at a local rink would be interesting. You would have tons of people coming up to you and trying to talk to you. You didn't particularly mind this, since you generally liked talking to your fans. Some of them could be a bit much to handle, but they never meant any harm.

Yuri, however, never liked any of his fans. He only wanted people to admire him from afar, never up close. His fans were some of the most obsessive people he had ever seen. Yuri just hoped he wouldn't come across any of his fans at the rink where he would be practicing for a little while.

Then again, it wasn't real practice. He could only do some of the jumps he wanted to because there would be much more people around, though still not very many. He'd still work through some parts of his programs, though. Just not all of it.

Lilia wasn't training Yuri nearly as much as she was before. Yuri was actually pretty grateful for that. It was only because he was almost as flexible and fast as he needed to be for his programs. That was Lilia's job in the first place: working on Yuri's flexibility and speed.

Now that it had been accomplished, Yuri didn't have as much of a reason to see you after practice anymore. He only went to Lilia's studio for short practices, only an hour long at most. 

You talked to Yuri about this, since you were getting pretty lonely now that you didn't have anyone to talk to at the end of the day. You told him you'd like to just meet up with him and hang out at the end of the day, to which he agreed. 

Yuri didn't exactly like being left alone at the very end of the day, because he tended to get very bored very easily. He could only occupy himself with his phone and TV for so long.

He didn't really care what Viktor and Yuuri were up to now, so he couldn't busy himself with stalking their social media accounts. He didn't really like what was on TV late at night. They were usually dumb dramas or boring sitcoms he didn't care about. 

Yuri was glad you'd decided to hang out with him at the end of the day. He really was one to get bored easily. Boredom was one of the worst feelings, in Yuri's opinion. 

One day, though, you said you weren't able to hang out with him. You told him your coach wanted to talk to you about your programs and adding in some jumps he thought you were ready for. Yuri knew this could be a very long and important conversation between you and your coach, so he didn't try to convince you to skip it.

But it was a bit of a good thing that you had to cancel. Yuri's grandfather called him that night. He hardly ever got calls from his grandfather because Yuri was either busy when his grandfather called, or his grandfather was busy when Yuri called.

This wasn't one of those nights, however. Both of them were available. Yuri answered the phone immediately. "Grandpa?" he asked excitedly. "Why are you calling so late at night?"

"Yurochka, it's so good to hear your voice," his grandfather said on the other end. "I wasn't very busy today and I wasn't too tired when I came home, so I decided to call. How has your practice been going?"

"It's going great, actually. I really think I'm going to do well at the Grand Prix Final…you will come to watch me, won't you?" Yuri was actually afraid to ask the question. He really wanted his grandfather to come and he would be incredibly sad if he wasn't able to make it.

"I'll be there, Yurochka," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't make these last few competitions. But I promise I'll be there this time. You believe me, don't you?"

"O-of course, grandpa!" Yuri responded. "But…if it's too much trouble, o-or if it's too expensive to fly over to Barcelona, then I understand. I know you would want to come, and it's the thought that counts, right?"

Yuri heard a sigh on the other end. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," his grandfather said. "It's one of the most important competitions you'll compete in. Of course I wouldn't miss it, even if it's expensive and even if it's far away."

Yuri knew it would probably be fine, but he was still worried. His grandfather didn't have much money to begin with, since he had to pay for most things related to Yuri's skating and his coaching fees. 

Yuri already felt like a burden to his grandfather, he didn't want him doing anything more than what was necessary. He always worried about his grandfather. He should have already been retired, but he wasn't because he needed to pay for Yuri's skating.

It had gotten pretty bad one year. His grandfather had been sick for a while, so he couldn't go in to work. Because of this, he lost a lot of money and could barely afford the coaching fee for the year. Yuri even offered to quit skating so his grandfather could finally live comfortably. But he said it would break his heart if he never saw Yuri skate again.

"Oh, grandpa," Yuri said, snapping out of his thoughts. "I'm not sure if I've told you yet or not, but…I made a friend." He was almost worried about what his grandfather would say. Would he tease him? Would he be happy about it and embarrass him? What would it be?

"Really? I'm glad you've finally made a friend, Yurochka. You need someone to keep you company there. I know you don't like most of the skaters at your rink, so it's a good thing you've finally found someone to be with. What's their name?"

"Her name is (Y/N)," he said. "She's a figure skater like me. She's actually the same age as me and in the senior division now as well. And I don't want you teasing me about this, but I like her. I know I've never said anything like this before and I've never even had a friend before, b-but–"

"I think that's wonderful, Yurochka," his grandfather said, cutting him off. "I'm glad you've finally made a friend and someone you have feelings for."

"Y-yeah," Yuri said. "But that's not all. After the Rostelecom Cup was over, we went outside. The night was so beautiful and one thing led to another and then we…well, we kissed."

"That's adorable," his grandfather said. "And here I am so far away from you, I can't even hug you. Well, it's good to know you have someone that can support you when I can't. Treasure her, okay? She sounds like a really nice girl. Make sure to keep her close. Well, I have to go now. I'm nearly falling asleep. I hope we can talk soon, Yurochka. I love you."

"I love you too, grandpa," Yuri said and hung up. His grandfather was the only person he'd ever said "I love you" to. Hopefully he'd be able to say it to you soon.

But that was a matter of courage. Yuri definitely didn't have the courage now. Even after everything that happened between the two of you, he still wasn't sure if you liked him back. If you didn't, he'd make a fool of himself and ruin your friendship. He couldn't risk that.

You were the only person he had that could be close to him and support him. His grandfather could, of course, but he was so far away now. At least it felt like he was. 

Yuri needed you. If he didn't have you or he let his friendship be ruined, he would feel very alone. He liked being independent, but when independence meant not having anyone to love or support you, Yuri didn't like it as much.


	16. Yuri’s flight

Yuri really hated having to take a plane to get to competitions. They were cramped, the flights felt so long, and there was hardly anything to do on the trip. But above all, they scared him.

Ever since he was little, Yuri was scared of flying. He always thought the plane was going to crash somehow, even though the likelihood of that happening was very slim. The first time he had been on a plane was when he was nine years old and taking a plane for a competition in Canada. 

The flight felt so long that time, but luckily his grandfather was with him. He gave Yuri some water and tried to entertain him with games so he could calm down. It only worked a little, but at least he wasn't crying like he was when the plane took off.

Yuri still got anxiety whenever he had to fly. He didn't have many fears, but flying was definitely one. Even with proof and evidence of it, he'd never admit it. You didn't know this before, so you couldn't have prepared to help him in any way.

You sat next to Yuri for the flight. You noticed that Yuri was a lot quieter than usual, but that was probably just because it was a plane and people generally weren't very talkative when flying. You shrugged it off as nothing and decided to check some messages on your phone.

You only noticed that something was wrong with Yuri when the plane started to take off. He gripped the armrest tightly and became much more pale. You put your hand on his and looked at him worriedly. 

"Yuri, are you all right," you asked, concerned. "You look a little pale. Are you sick?" Yuri shook his head, but squeezed his eyes shut when the pilot announced how high above the ground the plane was. 

"Yakov," you called, turning to face the seat behind yours. Yakov had booked his seat close to yours and Yuri's. "Yakov, is Yuri okay? Does this happen often?" You had been on flights with Yuri before, but he'd never acted like this.

"He'll be fine," Yakov answered, unfazed. "Yuri tends to get anxious on flights. Just try to distract him with something and he'll be fine." Even after all this time you'd spent with Yuri, you never knew this about him. There will still many things you didn't know about one another, you supposed.

"I can hear you guys, you know," Yuri said, his voice sounding strained. "And I'm not afraid of flying, Yakov. I've told you this before. I just don't like flying. It's so boring."

"People don't act like this when they're bored, Yuri," Yakov refuted. "Just think about what you'll do when you get to Barcelona. (Y/N) will talk to you, okay? Don't bother me anymore, I'm going to sleep." 

That was a good idea. Barcelona. "Yeah!" you said happily. "We'll get to see all these pretty lights in Barcelona. They've started decorating for Christmas there. We have to visit some stores and shops there. I want to buy some souvenirs to take home with me. What do you think, Yuri?"

"I don't care about the lights," Yuri said. "They're just lights. It's no big deal, really. We don't even celebrate Christmas, so it doesn't mean anything to me. The most I'll do is get a souvenir. But only something small and easy to bring on the plane. I hate airport security."

This was good, so seemed to be taking his mind off of flying. "So, is there anything you want to do when you're there?" you asked. "Anything that's interesting? Are there any shops or restaurants you want to visit when we get there?"

Yuri shrugged. "Maybe. I don't really know what's in Barcelona to begin with. I heard they have nice beaches, though. Maybe I'd want to visit one of those since that's the only thing I know about."

"Great! Then we'll go to a beach," you declared. "Personally, I want to go to a fancy restaurant. But nothing too expensive, you know? I don't really like to waste money on those types of things. I think Barcelona's really going to be special." 

When you looked back at Yuri, you noticed he had almost fallen asleep and was resting his head against the window. How cute, you thought. You hoped he'd wake up on his own, because you'd hate to wake him up yourself. 

"(Y/N), you did a good job of calming him down," Mila said. She had been sitting next to you the whole time, but she hadn't said anything because she didn't want to interrupt your conversation with Yuri. "He gets pretty anxious on flights and it's usually hard to get him to stop freaking out. I think you're really special to him."

You smiled. "Well, we're just friends, after all. I don't know if I'm special or anything." You and Yuri were just friends and nothing more. That's just the way things were between the two of you.

"You might just be friends, but do you really not have any feelings for him?" Mila asked. "You two definitely have something going on between you. I can tell. Now tell me so I know for real, do you have any feelings for Yuri?"

You looked back at Yuri to make sure he was still asleep. He was, luckily, so you decided to answer. "I…I guess I do. But please don't tell anyone, Mila. It might hurt Yuri's career if anyone found out. You know how protective his fans are."

She nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I've definitely seen it. But since they're his fans, I think they'd support him if he was in a relationship with someone. It wouldn't make sense for them to hate him just because he's dating someone, you know? Still, I won't tell anyone."

"Oh, thank you," you said. "I think I needed to tell someone about that. I've been keeping this a secret for quite a while now. I know he made a bad first impression on me, but I honestly thought he was pretty cute when I first saw him. I thought he would be more of the shy type because his face got all red when he saw me."

You and Mila both laughed. "It's nice to have another girl to talk to," Mila said. "I have a few female skater friends from other counties, but I hardly ever get to see them. You know, the rink has been a lot livelier ever since you came to practice with us."

"Really?" you asked. "How so?" 

"Yuri used to be such a pain," she said, laughing. "He was always arguing with someone or just disobeying Yakov. I think you've helped control him, (Y/N). I really want to thank you for that. But he'll still always be the Russian Punk in my eyes."

"He did seem to fit that title when we were formally introduced," you said. "He seemed to be more of the argumentative type. But he wasn't too much trouble for me when I had to give him his ballet lesson. He was mostly cooperative."

"Yeah, that seems like Yuri," Mila pointed out. "He's a bit like a little brother to me, actually. We may fight all the time, but I really care about him. He was the cutest little thing when he came to the rink for the first time. He seemed really nervous to be skating there with so many champions.

"I was actually the first one to talk to him," she continued. "I told him that Yakov would make him a champion like us if he just listened to him. He didn't take my advice, but he was a really nice kid back then."

"Aww, little Yuri!" you squealed. Mila nodded. "He was so cute back then! He even had a lot of stuffed animals that he would take around with him, but he got rid of them all a while ago." 

You nodded and looked back at Yuri's sleeping figure. He was snoring mighty now, not enough to attract the attention of other passengers, but just enough for you to notice. You smiled to yourself and reached out a hand to him, starting to stroke his hair.

"Sleep tight, Yuri," you said softly with a smile.


	17. Yuri’s lights

After many long months of training and practicing, the Grand Prix Final was finally very, very close. So close, in fact, that it didn't even feel real to you.

You had come to terms with the fact that you might not win the Grand Prxi Final. It wasn't likely, considering that it was your first year in the senior divisions and everyone else had much more experience than you. 

You didnt want to tell Yuri this, because he'd get mad at you for doubting yourself for even a second. He'd make you believe that you would come in first place no matter what, which would make it harder on you if you didn't end up winning.

It wasn't that you didn't appreciate his encouragement, of course. It was just that you wanted to be prepared for the worst. If the worst ended up happening, you'd be able to cope with it. For Yuri, however, that didn't seem to be the case.

Yuri was convincing himself that he would win. You wanted to give him encouragement, but if he lost, it would be really hard on him. You tried to avoid talking about coming in first place at this point and you would only talk about going to the Grand Prix Final; you wouldn't talk about winning it.

You and Yuri were under a lot of pressure now. Everyone was rooting for Yuuri Katsuki to win the men's singles category, while everyone was rooting for a very talented skater from Japan to win the ladies' singles.

You both wanted some support from people that weren't already your dedicated fans. It felt like everyone wanted you and Yuri to lose. No one even believed for a second that you'd win because you were both so young.

The pressure put on the two of you was immense. You and Yuri were pushing yourselves to the limit now. You'd be precticing off the ice when local rinks were crowded. You'd practice on ice when there weren't many people there.

When you and Yuri went to the local rinks in Barcelona, where you were currently staying, you would usually get a lot of fans asking for autographs and pictures. You didn't mind, of course, but Yuri wasn't very pleased about it.

You just told him to suck it up because his fans were taking time out of their day just to say hi to him, the least he could do is just sign a piece of paper or skates. You couldn't deny that the faces he made when taking pictures with the fans were hilarious, though.

But it wasn't all fun and games now. You and Yuri were much more serious about competing. You didn't really go out to have fun anymore. At this point, you were completely focused on skating and competing. 

Except for one night, when you decided to do what you were talking about for weeks: explore Barcelona.

You obviously dragged Yuri with you. It took a lot of convincing, of course, but you definitely thought it was worth it. You only managed to bring Yuri with you by reminding him of the promise that he made to you. He promised he'd explore Barlceona with you, and you were making sure he'd live up to his promise.

You left in the afternoon with Yuri, so you had plenty of time to do everything you wanted to. You started by leaving the hotel and looking around at everything, seeing how different the buildings and landscapes were from Russia. 

It it made you happy, though. You always loved seeing new places and Barcelona seemed like a very interesting place to visit. You wished you could've come here for a vacation instead of a competition.

Then you and Yuri headed to the shops. It was about evening when you got there, since it was a long walk and you left at late afternoon. You went in some shops and bought some small items like snowglobes and mugs. 

Yuri was actually having quite a good time. He didn't think he'd enjoy looking around Barcelona as much as he was. Since it was Christmas time there, there were many lights lit up at this time. It wasn't very dark outside yet, so he couldn't see the lights very well.

He watched as you admired the shops with bright eyes and a wide smile. You were looking around in shop windows, admiring any items you thought were interesting. You passed by some jewelry stores, but you didn't buy anything because everything was way too expensive for two teenagers to pay for. 

Yuri really liked watching you. The lights were brighter now since the sky got darker, but the beauty of the lights couldn't compare to how beautiful you looked in this moment. Yuri tried not to make his staring obvious so he could admire you more. 

"This is really fun, isn't it Yuri?" you asked suddenly. Yuri snapped out of his trance and realized you were talking to him. It actually was pretty fun and he didn't feel like lying about it. "Yeah," he responded, "it's definitely not that bad."

Yuri started thinking about the night you kissed him. It was his first kiss, and yours too. It was a great first kiss that he wouldn't have done any other way. But the lights illuminating the city on that night were nowhere near as beautiful as the lights on this night.

Yuri was positive Barcelona was one of the prettiest places he'd ever visited, and he'd visited a lot of places. It may only be because it was Christmas time and lights were decorating the city, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.

"Yuri, isn't it such a beautiful night?" you asked. "I really like how Barcelona looks. I was expecting it to be pretty, but this is far beyond my expectations. It's gorgeous. I think I might want to move here someday and live here."

You were laughing at the comment you made, which made Yuri chuckle a little. "It is really pretty," Yuri agreed. "I like the way the lights look. It must have taken forever for someone to put them all up. And it must take forever to take them down again."

You nodded. You thought about that sometimes, too, but you were always more focused on how mesmerizing the lights were. It was simply beautiful, especially tonight.

As the night grew colder and darker, Yuri noticed you start to shiver a little. It was pretty chilly, but he wasn't as cold as you because he had bundled up more. He told you to wear a jacket, but you refused, not thinking it would be so cold in Barcelona.

"Are you cold?" he asked. You nodded. This is really going to be a cliché, isn't it? Yuri thought. "Here, you can have my jacket," he offered, taking the jacket off. "I'm not that cold anyway, I'll be fine."

Yuri put the jacket on you, who was currently smiling at him. "You're really kind, Yuri," you commented. "I know you have an image to maintain, the 'Russian Punk' thing, but you really are a sweet person. I really like that about you, Yuri."

Yuri could feel his heart beat quicken in his chest. His face probably would have flushed, if his cheeks and nose weren't already tinted pink from the cold. "Wh-whatever," he said, flustered.

He was certain he had feelings for you at this point. He was certain a long time ago, but he really processed it this time. He loved you and he was going to confess to you eventually. If only he was confident enough.

Then he remembered what everyone told him. Viktor, Yuuri, his grandfather, Mila, Yakov, and probably even Lilia and your coach all knew about his feelings for you. Some of those people gave him advice about confessing to you. He thought Mila was the most helpful.

"It's like ripping off a bandaid," she said. "You might not want to do it at first and you'll want to stop yourself from doing it, but you have to do it fast and quick, so it doesn't feel as bad. Confessing will be really embarrassing, but it'll lead to something much better, I promise. It'll all pay off afterwards."

Yuri acted like that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard, but he really considered her advice. She also said to do it at the right time, but Yuri didn't know when that would be. 

But Barcelona really was beautiful. It was the perfect place to confess to someone, or even propose to them. Even if you're not in a fancy church or cathedral, just confessing or proposing to someone in a place where you can see the lights sounded beautiful.

Yuri knew it was about time. He'd kept his feelings hidden for long enough. You already kissed him, so that gave Yuri confidence in his decision. That couldn't have just been a celebratory kiss. 

"(Y/N)…there's something I want to tell you," Yuri spoke softly when the two of you were in a more secluded area, away from the crowded shopping district. You tilted your head in confusion, but listened to him anyway.

"We've been friends for nearly a year now. You're the first friend I've ever had and I value our friendship more than anything. I can't keep this a secret anymore, so I'll just say it. (Y/N)…I like you. I have feelings for you. I've known this for a while now but I've never told you. If you don't feel the same, I understand. I'm fine with just being friends. Just being around you is enough. I love you, (Y/N)."

You look at him with wide eyes and a flushed face. "Yuri…"

_~To be continued~_


	18. Yuri’s confession

You looked at him with wide eyes and a flushed face. "Yuri…I don't know what to say." Yuri had a feeling you'd be overwhelmed by it all. It was a big deal in the first place. He didn't even plan this himself, it just sort of happened.

"You don't have to say anything," he said. "I'm just telling you how I feel, I'm not asking for anything. That's all I wanted to say. I like you, (Y/N). I'm tired of trying to hide it. I just needed to tell you, that's all."

"Yuri…" you were still in disbelief, but you knew you had to say something in return. "Yuri…despite making the worst first impression on me, I think you're a really nice and caring person deep down. You're determined and you're ambitious. I have no idea how it turned out this way, but I like you, too. Honestly.

"There's nobody I would rather be with than you," you continued. "I know we're young and people might tell us we're too young to know what love is, but I'm sure this is it. I love you, Yuri. I really do. The only people I've told so far are Viktor and Yuuri. That's why I've been feet in close to them recently. I needed their advice on these things. I've never been in a relationship before."

Yuri laughed. "Neither have I. I actually asked Mila for some advice. Well, she gave me advice, rather. I didn't really ask for it. But it was really good advice. I never thought I could trust Mila with something like this, but she turned out to be right."

You smiled at him. "Yuri, I want to tell you about the night when I kissed you. The kiss was just a celebratory kiss, but afterwards I wanted to do it over and over again. Is that too soon to say? I think it is." 

"Idiot," Yuri joked, "of course it's not too soon. You already kissed me, remember? But…what does this make us now? Are we still just friends? More than that? (Y/N), help me out here."

"I think we're still just friends. You haven't formally asked me out, anyways. You've only told me you like me. Hey Yuri, will you go out with me?" The way you asked it so nonchalantly made Yuri state in confusion. Then his face turned bright pink, not just from the cold this time.

"I'm supposed to be the one asking you that, idiot!" he complained. "I confessed, after all! Now I'm going to have to tell everyone you asked me out. Do you realize how annoying Viktor's gonna get? He won't shut up about it now!"

"So…is that a yes?" you asked shyly. Yuri calmed down almost instantly. You suddenly looked much more unsure of yourself now. You seemed as if you didn't know whether Yuri actually wanted to date you or not. Of course he did!

"Yes, stupid, of course it's a yes!" You were getting ready to say something after he made this statement, but you didn't have the time to before he pressed his lips to yours. Your eyes widened, embarrassed, but you realized this must have been how Yuri felt when you kissed him suddenly.

You leaned into the kiss, wanting to savor this moment. Yuri eventually pulled away. He looked a little shy now, which you thought was adorable. "See? It's a yes. But don't let this change anything between us. I don't want either of us to start acting weird and lovey-dovey, okay?"

You nodded and laughed. "Of course, Yuri, I'm not going to change my personality. And neither are you. You're always going to be the sweet, determined Yuri I know. Nothing you can do can change that.

~

You and Yuri walked back to the hotel after that. You said goodbye to him, going to your hotel room to go to sleep. It was almost midnight now. Yuri wasn't very tired, so he decided to stay up for just a little while before going to bed. 

He he got out his phone, dialing Viktor's number. Viktor was surely still awake, always being a bit of a night owl. "Hey you old geezer, you took quite a long time to answer," he complained.

"Yurio, always the friendly one, aren't you?" Viktor said sarcastically, though it was still in a happy tone with no malice behind it. "Barcelona's beautiful, isn't it? But why are you calling me now? It's midnight and Yuuri's asleep. Is there something important?"

"Yeah, sort of," Yuri said nervously. "Um…(Y/N) dragged me out today to go walk around and go shopping. And it was really pretty. There were tons of lights and stars out tonight. It just seemed like a perfect night, so I decided to, um…confess to her. She said she felt the same after I told her."

There was a long pause on the other end. Yuri started to wonder if Viktor was even still there. "That's amazing, Yurio," Viktor said eventually. "I didn't think you'd actually do it. You must really like her, huh? Take care of her, okay? Treat her like the wonderful lady she is."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuri said, annoyed. "Well, that's the only reason I called. Nothing else. Go back to sleep, you old fart." Viktor laughed on the other end. He was used to Yuri's rudeness, but he didn't really mind.

"I probably should," he agreed. "Oh Yurio, before you go, there's something I forgot to mention. I know you want to win the Grand Prix Final more than anything, but don't count on it. There's never been someone as young as you who's won. If you want to impress (Y/N) with your gold medal, I'm just saying you shouldn't get your hopes up."

Yuri was mad. How dare Viktor tell him something like that? He was going to win and he would prove himself. "Shut up, you disgusting old man! I'm better than you were at my age, and I'll prove it. I've taken your advice on how to confess to (Y/N) and now I'm done with you. Don't talk to me again, okay? Stay over in Japan with your pig."

Yuri then hung up before Viktor had a chance to say anything else. Not that he minded. He really didn't want to hear another word come out of Viktor's mouth. 

It was getting pretty late. He needed to get some sleep to prepare for tomorrow. He turned of the lamp in his hotel room and rolled on his side, closing his eyes. He was so tired he didn't even dream.

~

It was time for you and Yuri to go practice at a local rink the next day. Yuri was very hesitant about going, but you didn't mind as much. It was practice and having some practice was better than none, you told him.

When you got there, there were only two or three other people at the rink. This was good. Yuri wouldn't hold back as much now. The other people didn't seem to recognize the two of you, which you were pretty thankful for. You came here to practice, not give autographs, though you still loved your fans.

"Come on, Yuri, do a triple axel!" you called to the boy. He wasn't doing jumps at all, only working on his step sequences for his programs. "You're better than this. Just do a few jumps including one quad, then we'll leave. I promise." 

Yuri didnt seem to mind this. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, and this seemed like an opportunity to do so. He performed a combination jump of a triple axel and quadruple salchow. You clapped, impressed with how perfectly he landed it.

Next, he did a combination jump with a double salchow, triple lutz, and single toe loop. You gave another round of applause. "See, Yuri? You can do these things if you really want to. Keep that up for the Grand Prix Final, okay?"

Yuri nodded, wiping off sweat with his glove. "You'd better keep it up for the Final, too, (Y/N). I'm not the only one competing, you know. You need to be prepared yourself."

You nodded, smiling. "I know. But you're the one I really want to see perform, Yuri. Man, im really excited for the Grand Prix Final now. Let's give it our best, okay?"


	19. Yuri’s preparation

It was finally the day of the Grand Prix Final. You and Yuri felt more prepared than nervous, but you still had your doubts about your programs, no matter how hard you practiced them. 

You and Yuri didn't change much since you became a couple. Everything stayed the same between the two of you, but with less doubt about each other's feelings. You were both happily in love and didn't think it was something people would change be selves over.

The only thing Yuri wasn't looking forward to was the interviewers having to ask him after the Final, "(Y/N)'s and your program are a pair, right? What is your relationship with her?" He didn't want to publicly say you were dating, but he knew you didn't want to keep secrets.

He was mostly worried about people teasing him or telling the two of you that you're too young to know what love is. Because he knew, and so did you. You both knew very well that if true love was real, this was it.

You and Yuri were warming up for your programs right now. The short program was first, of course, and you were both more than prepared for it. You'd been skating it for what felt like forever, so you both had it completely memorized and perfected. But so would the other skaters.

JJ was honestly out of Yuri's league. His skating was better than Yuri's and Yuri knew this. JJ would always score several points above him, and a few points meant everything to a figure skater. A one point deduction could prevent a skater from winning gold.

That's why "a few points" was a big deal to him. Yuri was determined to close the gap between their scores and beat JJ in the Grand Prix Final that day. He wanted nothing more than to show the world how talented he could be.

There was only a small gap between you and the skater who usually placed above you. Only a fraction of a point, usually. You knew you could beat her if you gave it your all, but so could she. You were about evenly matched, but you'd both be giving it your best effort. This was your chance to see who really was a better skater.

You wanted to take your mind off of that, though. All you wanted was to skate the best you could and show the world your passion. That was all. You needed to win, but it was more important to express yourself. You thought about things that could possibly distract you. Yakov and Lilia? No. Your family? Not right now, it was pressuring to think about them watching you. Yuri? Yes, that was it!

You thought about how Yuri had the biggest smile on his face that morning when you ate breakfast with him. He told you he was happy because his grandfather was definitely coming this time. He even showed you the picture his grandfather had sent of his plane ticket and passport.

You were really happy for him. He'd wanted his grandfather to come for so long now and it was finally happening. You hadn't met his grandfather, but Yuri had told you so much about him that you felt like you already knew him. You were excited to meet him for the first time.

But that also worried you. Would he even like you? What if he didn't approve of you and Yuri being together? You knew there was nothing you could do about that now. You needed to focus on warming up. 

You heard one of the announcers on the loudspeakers from the rink say it was time for the ladies to warm up on the ice now. You were excited. This was really happening. You'd actually be competing at the Grand Prix Final at only fifteen years old. You were so ready for the time to come, you didn't even want to warm up.

The other skaters, however, had all done this before, with the exception of Yuri. Even if they'd never qualified for the Grand Prix Final before, they'd been at very large competitions before this one. This was your and Yuri's first time at the Grand Prix Final in the senior division.

While you were warming up on the ice, Yuri was still warming up on his own. He wanted to see your perform your program, but he couldn't. He still needed to warm up for his own and Yakov said there would be no exceptions.

What Yakov actually said was, "If you don't warm up, you won't be as ready as your competitors and they'll be able to beat you more easily." Yuri hated to admit it, but that guy knew how to talk someone into doing something. 

Yuri watched Otabek enter the room and begin to warm up as well. He waved at the man, who waved back to him. The friendship was a very relaxed one, which Yuri loved. He always hated being awkward.

Yuri told you the night before the Grand Prix Final about how he'd made another friend recently. He told you his name was Otabek Altin and he was a figure skater from Kazakhstan. You nodded, familiar with the name. He was on the podium with Viktor once, which was very impressive.

Yuri told you about how they'd apparently met before at a skating rink, but he didn't remember meeting him. Otabek told him that when he was on the ice, he had the eyes of a soldier. You never thought about it before, but he really did. Yuri seemed much stronger and braver than normal when he was skating. 

You liked this Otabek guy. He seemed really nice and sweet, though Yuri told you he was also pretty stoic and serious. That made you think Otabek was a bit like a teddy bear, which made you laugh. 

Yuri continued describing Otabek to you. He said he was an amazing figure skater and everything about his performances was amazing, even the costumes and music pieces. 

You were really happy that Yuri was making more friends. He was finally coming out of his shell more, which made you proud of him. Otabek must be a pretty cool guy to make someone like Yuri become friends with him.

But then that got you thinking about you. Yuri must feel that way about you too. He must think you're also an amazing skater, since he says he doesn't have time for skaters who are worse than him. Then again, it might just be bragging.

However, even the way he talked about Otabek seemed cheerful. It sounded like he could go on and on for hours if no one stopped him. That must be what happened when he talked about you.

The thought of that made you blush, but you couldn't deny that you liked it a little. Yuri was a very fun person to be around, especially if he really liked you. You and Otabek must be some of the only people in the whole world who know what being friends with Yuri felt like. Honestly, it felt amazing.

The same night that Yuri told you about Otabek, he also told you something about Viktor and Yuuri that he seemed extremely upset about. He told you that a few skaters had been invited out to dinner, and he found out then that the two were getting married.

You were really happy about this. You could tell that Viktor and Yuuri's relationship was something special. They always seemed comfortable with each other and honestly, they already seemed like a married couple. You already knew their relationship would work out. 

According to Yuri, he wasn't too happy about this whole thing because he knew those two would be all, in his own words, "Oh, Viktor, I lost the Grand Prxi Final to Yurio, I'm so sad!" "Well, that's okay, Yuuri, we're married now, so it doesn't matter!" "You're right, Viktor, who cares that he won!"

You couldn't help but laugh at that when he told you. You couldn't deny that it seemed like something they'd actually do, which was interesting to you. But that got you thinking about how Yuri would react if he didn't win.

You shook your head, not wanting to think about that right now. Right now, you were on the ice, warming up to compete in the Grand Prix Final. So was Yuri. You couldn't think about losing now.

It was time to win.


	20. Yuri’s happiness

It was your turn to compete. You were the first skater this time, which was surprisingly less nerve-wracking than being the last skater. If you failed miserably, people wouldn't remember it as much if you were first. But that also put pressure on you to put on an unbeatable act. 

You didnt feel scared now. You didn't feel pressured. You only felt calm. As you skated to the center of your ice and your music started playing, you only felt grateful to be here in this moment. Most people could only dream of competing at the Grand Prix Final at such a young age. You were just lucky.

That made you think about the audience. How many of them were dedicated skating fans? How many of them waited years to come to this competition? How many of them were cheering for you? How many of them were rooting for you to fail? 

They all had their very own lives. Some of them were skaters as well, you were sure, but most of them were just fans. You were almost jealous that they got to live perfectly normal, happy lives without the stress and pain that came with being a skater.

You weren't being ungrateful. You knew this was the truth. Only a few people in the whole world could put up with the pressure of being a professional athlete. The physical element of it was hard enough, but combined with the mental strain of always having to be the best, it was very tough. 

What about Yuri? Did he ever feel that way? You knew that he put a lot of pressure on himself, but was he really managing as well as he made it seem? Viktor had said it to you before: skaters' hearts as as fragile as glass. Did that also apply to Yuri?

And how did Viktor know? Being a living legend figure skater must have put incredible amounts of pressure on him. He must have felt awful when he first decided to go on break. You had to applaud him for being able to deal with something so difficult.

It was time for your first quad out of the three in your program. It was a quadruple salchow, which you almost always nailed in practice. Luckily, you did it again. You landed perfectly and heard the audience give you a round of applause.

You felt happy and encouraged because of it. Even if they weren't rooting for you in particular, the audience was obviously still impressed by your jump. The music eventually got to the part with a violin solo. This meant the last two quads were coming up soon.

Your program was about elegance. You knew very well that skating fans from all over the world adored you for how cool and collected you appeared to be. However, that calm and cool part of your personality was part of the reason why it was harder for you to skate your free skate than your short program.

The free skate was about passion. You knew what it felt like, of course, but you had trouble imagining that feeling while performing your program. You hadn't found your passion yet, but you were able to skate the program well, so you didn't think it mattered all that much.

It was time for another quad. It was another quadruple salchow, but this time it was followed by a triple axel. You still landed both of those neatly, earning another small round of applause from the audience.

At this rate, you would probably come in first place. You had done two quad salchows, a triple axel, and a triple toe loop so far. And you still had one quad left in the routine. Unless someone was able to majorly outperform you, you'd be coming in first for the short program. 

The music reached its peak, being the loudest and most dramatic part of the piece. It was time for your last quad, a quadruple Lutz, and then your program would be over and you'd get to see your results. You didn't land the jump as neatly as you would have liked, but it wasn't enough to warrant a deduction of points. 

The music gradually got slower, as did your skating, and you skated back to the center of the ice as the music ended, striking your final pose of the routine. You smiled, laughing happily as the audience gave a large round of applause after seeing your performance.

As you were skating off the ice, one little girl from the audience caught your attention. You skated over to her and smiled. She gasped as her eyes met yours, looking so happy you thought she might explode. She got something from her mother and put it on your head.

It was a plastic tiara, which looked very beautiful despite likely being less than a dollar. You gave her yours thanks and winked before making your way to the kiss and cry. You would probably remember that little girl for quite some time, if not forever.

As you sat, waiting for your scores on live television with your coach, you noticed the next skater getting ready to go on the ice. She was the one who tended to have similar scores to you, and you waved at her happily. She smiled and nodded. She knew you were wishing her good luck despite being competitors.

Your score finally appeared. 87.38, very good. Your coach nodded in approval, seeming pleased with the results. As you were celebrating the result, you noticed Yuri from the corner of your eye. You gave him a thumbs up, which he knew meant you got a really good score. He gave a thumbs up back, letting you know he understood.

Yuri, meanwhile, was talking to Otabek during the duration of your program. They both noticed how well you were doing out there and clapped whenever you landed a jump. Otabek asked how Yuri knew you, since he seemed more friendly with you than anyone else.

Yuri responded that the two of you met when he went to Lilia's studio for his first ballet lesson. Otabek said that the two of you looked good together, to which Yuri blushed and tried to hide his face, replying with a rushed, "I-It's none of your business!"

Otabek just nodded, not taking any offense. He was used to how Yuri reacted to things now and that comment didn't faze him. The two were good friends now and would definitely be cheering each other on during their programs. 

Then Yuri saw Viktor and Yuuri in the distance, which made the mood turn sour. Yuri scowled in their direction and Otabek noticed. "Yuri, are you upset?" Yuri just gave an annoyed hum and responded, "Those two idiots over there." He pointed in the direction of the newly-engaged couple, who seemed to be happily watching you see your score at the kiss and cry. 

Yuri was happy to see your score as well. It was there on the big screen in the middle of the venue for anyone to see. Yuri noticed some people smile after seeing your score and others scowl. He really wanted to punch those that scowled. 

If you and Yuri hadn't met that one day, he probably wouldn't be as excited about figure skating as he was now. He wouldn't have found his passion for his free skate. He wouldn't have made any friends, unless he met Otabek otherwise. He wouldn't have had his first kiss until much later. He probably wouldn't even have dated someone until he was in his twenties if you hadn't met each other.

Yuri was honestly grateful that he met you, though he'd always jokingly say that you were just annoying, especially since you had to be his instructor for his ballet lesson. But in reality, Yuri was so happy they the two of you met. He didn't know what he would have done otherwise.


	21. Yuri’s suspicion

Yuri was freaking out. He felt prepared for his programs, of course, but anything could go wrong. He was so nervous about the Grand Prix Final that day that he hadn't even eaten breakfast. The only time he ate was in the car on the way there when you noticed him looking abnormally tired.

You offered him some energy bars, which he gladly took. It was moments like this that made Yuri so happy to be your boyfriend. He'd never even considered having a partner before, but now that he had, he realized he'd really been missing out on a lot. 

Right now, Yuri wasn't worried about his performances like he was in the morning. He was worried about yours. He knew you were prepared and all, but there was always the chance that something could go wrong. The same applied to every skater, even Viktor. 

It was almost time for you to perform your free skate program and Yuri was probably more worried about it than you. Your tension tended to fade whenever you were on the ice. But Yuri wasn't on the ice with you, he was watching from the stands, completely useless to your performance. 

That was one thing Yuri hated: not being in control. He felt the need to improve every situation and make himself succeed. He'd grown used to the feeling of ring in control, since the only person he'd had to worry about for a long time was himself. He worried about his grandfather sometimes, but he knew the man could take care of himself.

But now, he wasn't only worried about himself. He was worried about you and Otabek, the only two friends he'd ever had. He wasn't used to the feeling of having to watch uncertainly from the sidelines. He felt completely useless and he hated it.

However, he knew you and Otabek had it under control. Even if either of you messed up or flubbed a jump, he knew you would be able to get back up and try again. You'd be able to make sure that wouldn't stop you from winning. Even though Yuri didn't want Otabek to win, because that would mean beating him, he wanted him to be a very close second.

Yuri was never willing to share the podium with anyone else. He felt as though the first place spit belonged to him, and he wasn't going to share with anyone else. He even felt like the other two spots meant that other skaters were close to his ranking; too close for his comfort. But now, he was willing to let his guard down and share with Otabek.

Otabek, who was standing next to him, watching you prepare for your free skate alongside Yuri. "Hey Otabek," Yuri spoke up, "it's going to be hard getting a spot on the podium, isn't it? This is a really good group of skaters. I've never even felt challenged before, really. This must be what the senior divisions are like."

Otabek paused and then shook his head. "Not usually. You're right about this being a great group. It's rare for every skater to have tough competition. It's usually only the bottom few who fell tons of pressure. This time, it seems like everyone's a bit worried. Even JJ."

Yuri clicked his tongue. "Man, I hate that guy! He's such a jerk and thinks that he's entitled to first place every time. I'm going to put him in his place and show him who's really the best skater here!"

Otabek nodded, listening carefully to Yuri's words. "I'd like to see that. But I'm still aiming for first place, Yuri. Just like you, I won't go down without a fight. I'll skate my very best and hope that's enough. That's what you'll do, too. That's the only thing we really can do."

It seemed like a pessimistic thing to say, but he really wasn't wrong. Yuri knew this, but he didn't like the idea of it too much. Sure, there were ways to get bonus points in skating, but even using all the tricks in the book, you'd still just be skating the best you could, leading right back to Otabek's statement.

"…You're right," Yuri said after a while. "I guess it really is the only thing we can do. Even so, I'm still going to skate the best possible. May the best man win." Otabek didn't say anything after that, but Yuri knew he thought the same. Otabek was a man of few words, and he liked that. He could only stand talkative people to a certain extent.

"(Y/N)'s on," Otabek noted, directing Yuri's attention back to the rink. You were there in the center of the rink in your costume, ready to perform your free skate. Yuri was still excited to see it, though he'd seen it many times already. He never tired of watching you skate. 

The music started playing and Yuri watched as you moved gracefully, delicately, across the ice. Your movements were very fluid and you were very fast. It was a truly captivating routine. And then came the first jump. It was a triple axel, which you landed with no trouble.

But you knew that was only the beginning. Your coach had decided to let you perform four quads this time, which you knew you could pull off. However, you never said it was going to be easy. The next jump was one of the quads, and you landed it neatly. That would definitely give you some good points.

Yuri could tell the audience members were on the edge of their seats. He always loved seeing their shocked expressions when they watched you, someone so young, land a quad that neatly. He smirked, knowing that was nothing for you.

Then came another quad, which wasn't perfectly neat, but wasn't enough to warrant a deduction. The audience didn't seem to notice, though, and clapped anyway. Yuri could tell, of course, but he still clapped since he knew doing four quads would definitely start to take a toll on you. But this was your final performance before you would see your scores, so he knew you'd give it your all and hold nothing back.

It was the second half of the program now, which meant extra points for every jump. Yuri knew your coach had wanted you to do three quads in the first half and one in the second, but this obviously meant you were planning on disobeying him and aiming for more points.

You did one quad, followed by a double salchow. Landed neatly, which Yuri thought was admirable. He still had some trouble landing those tricky combination jumps. And finally, it was time for your last quad. 

You jumped high in the air, but you ended up falling. Yuri noticed you wince as you fell, so you must have hurt something. It obviously wasn't too bad, because you got up right away. At the very end of your performance, you did a triple axel with one arm up, assuring you those points you missed for the quad you messed up. 

You gave your final pose, smiling as it ended. It was a tough routine, one that couldn't be done by many. And you were only fifteen, so you'd definitely be getting many offers for interviews and press conferences now. Yuri knew that would happen for him, but he hated them. 

Yuri noticed somethin was wrong when you were skating off the ice to the kiss and cry. You were only skating on one leg. It was hard to see, but you were slightly lifting one leg off the ice, so it didn't touch the ground. He assumed you must have hurt your ankle when you fell on bat last jump. He muttered a swear under his breath, earning a confused look from Otabek.

He watched you at the kiss and cry, waiting for your score. It appeared on the screen: 100.66. That was a new record in ladies' figure skating. You covered your mouth, suppressing a gasp, as you turned to your coach. He had a huge grin on his face and hugged you tightly. The audience was clapping loudly now, impressed by these amazing results.

But Yuri was still worried about your ankle. It still didn't seem right. You were probably still full of adrenaline. He knew you'd be acting differently the next day. He'd call you out on it. You couldn't be hurt right now. You likely just won the Grand Prix Final. You couldn't be hurt. 

If if you hurt your ankle as badly as Yuri thought you did, then you were in trouble. You'd have much less of a chance at winning the next competition, one far more important than the Grand Prix Final. You shouldn't have risked it after all.

Yuri didn't know what he would do if you hurt yourself as badly as he thought you did.


	22. Yuri’s crisis

Yuri knew something was wrong. The other skaters in the ladies' senior division skated, but none of them could manage to break your newly-achieved record. This meant that you won the Grand Prix Final. 

You actually won. There were no more programs after this. You were in first place. You had really accomplished it. All of your hard work and dedication paid off. You managed to pour enough blood, sweat, and tears into this competition to win it. You had done it. 

This meant you were the youngest skater in history to win the Grand Prix Final in the senior division. You were sure Yuri would be the next after his upcoming performance. But Yuri wasn't thinking about that right now. It was time for you to head over to the podium and get your gold medal, but that's when Yuri noticed it was really wrong.

As soon as you stood up from your chair at the kiss and cry, you immediately fell down. It was your ankle; you had walked on it after possibly spraining or even breaking it. It wasn't the ankle itself that made you fall, it was the pain that did. 

A crowd of people surrounded you, asking you questions that you couldn't really hear. Your coach was right in front of you, kneeling on there ground to help you. He asked you slowly and calmly, "(Y/N), what's wrong?" 

"Ankle…" was all you were able to force out. But that was enough for your coach. He turned to some people in the crowd, probably the medics, and told them something that was probably important. You didn't know what it was, you just wanted the pain to stop.

Yuri was watching as the whole scene unfolded before his eyes. He was going to run to you, but Otabek held him back. "Please, Otabek, I need to know if she's okay!" he begged. "I think she's seriously hurt. Please, just let me go over there!"

Otabek shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Yuri. (Y/N)'s coach has it under control. The crowd of people there is only making it worse. The last thing the medics need is one more person to move out of the way. I'm sorry, I know how much you care about her. I know you're worried, but she'll be fine. Skaters have accidents all the time. She'll be okay."

Yuri shook his head but said nothing else. He really didn't think you'd be fine. And he didn't think he'd be fine either. This whole situation was seriously preventing him was being able to think straight. He'd never be able to perform his programs properly at this rate. 

"Otabek…I'm probably not going to win this after all," Yuri said softly. "I'm too worried about (Y/N). Just make sure you win for me, okay? I really don't want Yuuri Katsuki or JJ or anyone else winning but you. I've already come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to win. Please, just win this for me."

Otabek said nothing, knowing this wasn't really coming from Yuri. The boy had just witnessed you being rushed to the hospital, of course he wouldn't feel okay right now. Otabek knew Yuri could still win. He'd make sure the boy knew that as well.

"Yuri, you can still win," Otabek said, putting a hand on Yuri's shoulder. "(Y/N) wouldn't want you to give up, would she? Give your performances your all. Even I f you don't win, (Y/N) will still be proud of you. Because you did your best and performed beautifully anyway."

Yuri was silent after that. He just stood there, watching the rink. Otabek knew he was taking everything he said to heart. You'd be okay. Otabek was sure you would be. He'd only met you briefly before, but you seemed like a strong girl. You'd recover from whatever this was in no time. He told Yuri this.

Yuri laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. She's so stubborn. I doubt she'd let something small like an injury hold her down for long. She'll be competing in he next competition. Of course she will. I want to surprise her after all of this. I'll visit her in the hospital and bring her her gold medal, along with mine."

Otabek gave a small smile. He didn't like that Yuri was declaring victory already, but it was better than him completely giving up before the competition had even started. Then there was an announcement coming from the loudspeakers. 

"Skater (F/N) (L/N) has been taken to the hospital due to an injury. However, she still managed to break the world record for ladies' skating and become the youngest senior division champion in history."

Yuri was happy to hear that. He was glad the announcers still acknowledged your achievements, despite the fact that your injury would be getting much more attention than your record-breaking performance. He'd be sure to visit you in the hospital later and tell you about this.

"It is now time for the men's skating. Gentlemen, it is time to warm up on the ice." Yuri was ready for this. He always hated warming up since he wanted to just get right to the competing part, but he would tolerate it. At least for today. This was an important event that he couldn't afford to slack off on.

Yuri headed over to the rink with Otabek. It was time to skate. Before they knew it, it would be their turn to perform. They were both ready for this. Nothing could take them down now.

Yuri noticed his grandfather in the crowd. The man gave him a wide smile and waved over at him, cheering him on even before it was his turn to compete. He was his Agape. He'd be looking at his grandfather the entire time during his performance. He was determined to make it work this time.

His passion was you. You weren't here right now, so he couldn't just look at you and see his passion. He had to imagine it. He had to feel like you were here with him, cheering him on as he performed his program. Knowing you, you'd probably be doing it in your hospital room, watching him skate on the tiny TV. 

Envisioning you was no problem. He did that a lot on a daily basis. It was the worrying about you part that would be hard to stop. He couldn't worry during his performances. That always made them worse. He needed to be determined.

He would win the Grand Prix Final for you. The two of you would become the youngest champions of the Grand Prix Final the figure skating world has ever seen. He'd make you proud.

Yuri would win this for you. He was sure of it.


	23. Yuri’s confidence

The first program was the short program, as usual. Yuri was in a much more intense mood than Agape called for, but he knew it would be beneficial to his skating the program nonetheless. He always performed better when he was experiencing very string emotions.

The emotions he was feeling currently didn't match the ones he needed to perform Agape perfectly, but he'd make it work anyway. Agape wasn't as important to him as Allegro Appassionato. Allegro was a very challenging program that most skaters wouldn't even be able to skate it, much less skate it flawlessly like Yuri was planning to.

If you were taken to the hospital just before he started warming up, then that meant by the time it was his turn to skate his short program, you'd have been there for about an hour. Since you were likely taken to an emergency room, you'd probably be watching him on TV at that time.

All Yuri wanted in this moment was for you to be happy. He didn't want your ankle to hurt you and make you feel down. He wanted to inspire you with his performance. You had still won, after all. You were officially the youngest skater to ever win the Grand Prix Final. 

Yuri would be, too. He had to be. He didn't train this hard for nothing. No other skater wanted this as much as he did. Not Yuuri Katsuki, not JJ, not Otabek, not Chris, not Phichit. He was the one who wanted it the most. He was sure of it. And he would make sure he'd win.

There were only three things Yuri loved with every fiber of his being. The first was skating. It had given him a way to escape reality. He was always behind the other kids at school, he was picked on, and his grandfather barely had enough money to feed himself because he prioritized Yuri over himself. Skating was a way to escape from all of that and just melt away with the music and movements.

The first song he ever skated to was Swan Lake. His grandfather noticed his interest in skating the first time they went to a rink together, so he rented it out when they decided to go back. It was expensive, but he'd never seen such a gentle and soft expression on Yuri's face before. 

The second thing Yuri loved was his grandfather. He was always there to support him in everything he did. He sacrificed everything for him and Yuri felt a bit guilty about that. He would repay his grandfather for it eventually but for now, all he could do was continue skating to make him happy.

And the third thing he loved was you. You brought a certain light into his life that he didn't know he even needed. You made everything seem brighter and happier just by being around him. You were the only thing that could motivate him to keep training under Lilia sometimes. He really appreciated that, since he would have quit otherwise.

You stood up for him when he couldn't stand up for himself. Yakov would constantly demand difficulty changes in the programs, usually making them easier than what he could actually perform, but you would talk sense into him. You'd let him know that Yuri was very talented and deserves the same level of difficulty as the other skaters.

The two of you were competing in the Grand Prix Final, after all. You were obviously good enough for this. You wouldn't have made it in otherwise. Yuri really loved how persistent you were. You were always able to get what you wanted in the end, even if it took an extremely long time. But you would keep at it until you achieved your goal.

Yuri realized it was JJ's turn to perform wen he heard the announcer speak again, snapping him out of his thoughts. He really hoped JJ would perform poorly. He'd win any way he could at this point. Any way except playing dirty. Then it wouldn't really be a real win. But if JJ performed poorly, that was his own fault. Yuri hoped that would happen.

And it…did seem to happen. JJ seemed very disoriented while he was performing. He didn't seem passionate and smug like he usually was. He seemed a bit worried. Or nervous. Yuri couldn't put his finger on what JJ was feeling, but he knew the man wasn't confident with himself anymore. If he didn't hate him so much, he might have felt bad for him.

But that's how it is in the skating world. If you're just having a bad day and fall to sixth place, the judges don't care. They're not going to add points to your routine just because they feel bad for you or you usually don't perform this poorly. Yuri knew this very well.

When he was younger, he got so nervous and worried about competing for the first time that he couldn't move his legs for a while. First, they wouldn't stop shaking and then they just stopped moving altogether. It didn't last very long, but he still wasn't able to move as freely as usual, so he got a pretty low score. However, his grandfather was still proud of him, as that was all the wanted.

Yuri almost hoped someone close to JJ was rooting for the guy. If he didn't have his grandfather back then, he probably would have cried the second he stepped off the ice. That was at a very small-scale competition. This, however, is the Grand Prix Final. JJ would be feeling much more humiliation than he did if he kept this up.

And he did. JJ did keep missing his jumps, forgetting the step sequence, and being off-time. He wouldn't score well at all. He'd have no fans rooting for him at the end of his performance. And that's why Yuri hoped he had someone close to him in the stands. So they would be able to tell the guy they were still proud of him anyway, even if he didn't perform as well as he liked.

It was one less competitor Yuri had to worry about. The only ones left to worry about were Otabek, Chris, and Yuuri. He didn't care too much about Phichit, since the guy didn't seem all that great to him in the first place. JJ wouldn't be able to recover from this low score, and Yuri knew that. All the skaters knew that. Even JJ's fans knew that, though they might not like it.

Yuri knew that no matter how poorly he performed, no matter how badly he messed up, no matter how many people were rooting against him, skating would still be there for him. His grandfather would still be there for him. You would still be there for him.

Yuri knew this and he was no longer the least bit worried about performing. Because the things he loved would still be there after it all.


	24. Yuri’s ordeal

Yuri waited nervously at the kiss and cry, anticipating his score. It might not have been the best, but he was sure he'd be able to catch up to whoever was first with his free program. His score probably wasn't that high anyway. Maybe he wasn't really feeling Agape like he was supposed to. At this point, he was just preparing himself for the worst.

But he really didn't need to. Instead of a moderate score like he thought he'd receive, he ended up with something much higher than anyone expected. It was his personal best short program score, which was a truly great thing. But that wasn't the only thing that amazed everyone.

His score was higher than Viktor's personal best short program score. 

He had officially surpassed Viktor with his short program. The audience erupted in applause, cheering for him as loudly as they could. Even audience members who were rooting against him applauded him anyway. He scored higher than Viktor. He scored higher than the living legend figure skater.

Yuri knew you'd be proud. He knew you would be cheering for him at the hospital if you were watching. He was pretty sure you were watching, even if he couldn't be certain. After all, you had a very persuasive personality. You'd be able to convince those nurses to let you watch the program, even if they protested at first. 

Well, that score would definitely give him the advantage. Winning the Grand Prix Final didn't seem like such a hard feat anymore. In fact, he was the closest one to winning it so far. The one with the highest score wins. He currently had the highest score. The realization just hit him and he couldn't stop himself from yelling in excitement.

But he knew there would be some setbacks. There always were. The other skaters would be even more motivated to skate their very best now. Yuri couldn't let his guard down now. He'd have to remain calm if he wanted to win.

Some skaters get so caught up with celebrating their short program score that they completely forget about their free program, and they end up losing the first place spot they thought had their name on it. Yuri wasn't like that. He knew what to think and what to do to win. 

However, there was a certain someone who just had to distract him from his goal. It was Viktor, of course. Who else was Yuri expecting? Of course Viktor would be the one to make Yuri lose his focus. That guy made him so mad sometimes. But…Yuri couldn't deny that the man seemed a bit worried. Maybe that was an understatement.

"Yurio, I need you to do me a favor!" The older man seemed a bit frantic. It reminded him of when Viktor was begging Yakov to be Yuuri Katsuki's coach for the day, since he had to fly to Japan right away. This was going to be another emergency, wasn't it? Great. Just great.

"What do you want, you old fart?" Yuri asked coldly. "Are you that desperate to make me lose that you're trying to distract me now?" Viktor shook his head. Yuri was only joking, but Viktor seemed to take it seriously. That usually wasn't the case, and now Yuri was getting worried. "Just spit it out already," Yuri demanded. "You're creeping me out." 

"It's Yuuri," Viktor finally said. "He's saying he wants to quit skating after this competition. He's thinking of retiring." Yuri's eyes widened at the sudden news. That pig wanted to retire? No way. He would never allow that.

"Yurio, please, I need you to stop him," Viktor almost begged the boy. "I tried to talk him out of it, but he seemed pretty set on it. I know you'd be able to convince him to keep skating. You have a forceful personality, just like (Y/N). I know you'll be able to do it."

Viktor was comparing him to you? That was strange. He didn't see any similarities between the two of you, other than persistence. Maybe that was what Viktor was talking about. "All right, old man. I'll try. But you owe me big time. You're asking a lot from me, you know. The pig's so stupid it'll be hard to get it through his thick skull."

Viktor chuckled at Yuri's comment. He could tell he was putting a lot of pressure on the boy, but he really didn't mean to. All he wanted to do was convince his fiancé to keep doing the thing he loved most. And he needed Yuri's help to do that. He couldn't thank the boy enough.

Yuri was starting to feel the pressure again. If he messed up now, you'd be disappointed in him. So would Viktor and Yuuri. So would Yakov and the rest of his rink mates. So would all of the people rooting for him. So would his whole country.

He tried his best to keep his breathing under control, but Yakov was still able to tell that something was wrong with the boy. He put his hand on Yuri's shoulder and said, "Yura, I know you can win this. Everyone does. Just go out there and skate to the best of your abilities. It's within your reach now."

Yuri nodded. He didn't say anything to thank Yakov, but his coach still knew he was grateful for the encouraging words. After all, he broke Viktor's record. Who wouldn't have faith in him after this? 

He could win this competition for everyone. He could make you and everyone else proud. He could do it. All he had to do was make it through the free program.


	25. Yuri’s time

The competition was far from over, but Yuri just wanted it to end already. If it ended now, he'd win the Grand Prix Final. He also wanted to leave as soon as possible to make sure you were really okay. The only news he'd heard about you since your injury was that you'd probably have to go back to the hospital in at least another day or two.

That wasn't exactly good news. Yuri knew a lot about sports injuries and how to prevent them. One thing he'd learned was that if you had to go back to the hospital after getting treated, then it likely was a more serious injury.

Yuri had a feeling your parents would be at the hospital with you. Of course they would be. What parents wouldn't drop everything they were doing to make sure their child was okay after being admitted into the hospital? 

He wanted to meet your parents, of course. He wanted to make a good impression on them so they would approve of their daughter dating a guy like him. But it's common knowledge that Yuri isn't good with making first impressions. And the current situation didn't make it any easier for him to do so.

This wasn't how Yuri wanted to meet your parents. Not in a crowded hospital after you suffered an injury during a competition. That would stress everyone out and put even more pressure on Yuri than what he was already dealing with.

That reminded him of his promise to Viktor. He said he would make sure Yuuri Katsuki kept skating, no matter what. And Yuri wasn't one to break promises, no matter the circumstances. He knows he doesn't have many of the standard "good qualities" that people like in a person, but he knows he at least has loyalty.

Yuri heard the announcement of the beginning of the men's free programs. He was already in his costume for his program. One thing (and probably the only thing) Yuri never complained about was his costumes. He knew that no matter how uncomfortable they were, he still needed to wear it, no questions asked.

The costumes had to go with the program. They had to capture the message of each skater's program and be able to convey it the way their skating did. If a costume was given for him to skate in, he would accept it. 

Even though his costume was very tight, with only the room needed for him to perform correctly, he wouldn't complain. It matched his program and he trusted it to do its job of conveying the message of the program to the audience.

Even though his hair was pulled back so tightly he could feel his head throb, he didn't mind. It didn't bother him so much that it would distract him from his performance. If his hair escaped the tight ponytail it was in, he wouldn't be able to see the ice. That was one of the downsides of having long hair, but he still refused to cut it.

There was almost nothing that could distract Yuri from skating. He once skated with a twisted ankle and he barely noticed it, being so focused on performing perfectly and not messing up that the pain didn't even register in his mind.

When Yuri watched JJ finish his free program with a much better score than the one he received for his short program, he still didn't lose focus. It actually didn't bother him at all. With the total points combined, JJ would only make the podium if the other skaters didn't skate as well as they could have.

Yuri only wanted Otabek to come in second. He wanted that spot to be reserved for him. Of course, first place was still the only spot he'd willingly take, he still wanted Otabek to stand close to him and celebrate their achievements together. He wouldn't allow Yuuri, JJ, or any other talentless skater stand where he stood. Only Otabsk deserved that and no one else.

But when Otabek skated his free program, Yuri knew that things weren't going to go like he wanted them to. It didn't seem like Otabek would make it to the podium this time. And Yuri was very upset about this fact.

He didn't know who to blame. Should he blame Otabek for not skating as well as he could have? Should he blame the other skaters for not letting his only other friend be next to him? Should he blame himself for not motivating him enough?

Still, Yuri knew that blaming someone wouldn't change the outcome. Otabek's score would remain the same, no matter how much Yuri anted it to change. The only thing he could control was how he himself skated.

And he knew he would skate well. For you, who hurt yourself trying to make everyone proud. For Viktor, who he made a promise to. For Yuuri, who he didn't want to see stop skating. For Otabek, who skated his very best, but still didn't manage to make it to the podium.

When Yuri heard the announcement saying it was his turn to skate, he was ready. He was determined to do it right. 

With th the weight of the world on his shoulders, Yuri stepped on to the ice and skated to the center as his program's music began.


	26. Yuri’s loss

Allegro Appassionato. That was the name of Yuri's free program song. He was never a huge fan of classical music, but he could appreciate pieces that stood out from the others and seemed special, in a way. That was the type of figure skater Yuri wanted to be. 

He wanted to be the type of skater who made people want to watch him. He wanted to be the type who captivated people who weren't even fans of figure skating. Anyone in their right mind would be impressed by a fifteen-year-old who could perform four quads in one program. 

He wanted to be the type who could make even the fans rooting against him change their minds. He wanted them to be impressed by his performance as well as the skaters' who they were supporting from the beginning. 

Yuri heard the music start when he skated to the center of the ice. He was finally performing his free program at the Grand Prix Final. He wanted everyone to watch him. He wanted everyone to see how perfectly he could skate, despite being such a young skater.

You were able to pull it off. Of course you were, you were amazing in every sense of the word. Yuri never doubted for a second that you would be able to win the competition. Sure, it was extremely tough, but you didn't let that get you down. You pushed through it all, ignoring all the comments about not being strong enough or being too young or being ignorant. You proved all of them wrong. And Yuri wanted to do the same.

Right now, he was very mad at Yuuri Katsuki. The man had been skating for such a long time and he was thinking of retiring despite being in almost the very best condition? That guy was an idiot. Yuri hated him. He really did. But he made that promise to Viktor about making sure the man continued to skate.

Yuri was just starting to get excited about beating the Japanese skater in a competition. And he was already retiring? Yuri couldn't even comprehend his thought process. He was just starting to become one of the best skaters, and he wanted to retire? Yuri hated him.

Yuri hated people who took what they had for granted. Yuuri Katsuki clearly wasn't able to see how successful and loved and favored he was. Yuri hated that about him. He had everything Yuri wanted and he wanted to throw it all away. The feeling of anger it made Yuri feel was almost indescribable.

But Yuri would give him a reason to keep skating. No skater likes to lose. No athlete does, for that matter. And most people aren't willing to go down without a fight as well. Yuri knew that also applied to the man. He'd beat him in this competition so badly that he'd just have to skate for at least another year.

Skating was Yuri's life. The thought of someone retiring without having an injury or serious reason to infuriated him. Skating was one of the only things he cared about in life. His grandfather gave up everything so e could skate and he wasn't going to let that go to waste. 

A quad was coming up. The anger he was feeling only made him jump higher than before, which he knew would impress the audience. But there were three more to go after this one. And he was pretty sure JJ's base score was higher than his, but that idiot completely messed up his routine. It was honestly embarrassing to everyone watching.

But Yuri didn't mind. That jerk was finally getting what he deserved for thinking he could be he best skater without having to pour his blood, sweat, and tears into it like everyone else. Just because he had talent didn't mean he could just sit around and do nothing until the competition came around. 

Well, Yuri decided to impress everyone even more. Maybe Viktor and Yuuri would even gasp. When it was time for the second quad, he lifted his arms above his head. It was pretty risky because it was easier to get thrown off-balance, but Yuri seemed to have very good luck today. He didn't stumble at all, which would earn him extra points.

If anything, he might have been getting too fired up. He used anger and frustration to motivate him, but he might have been getting too worked up. When the next jump came, only a triple axel, Yuri over-rotated and fell.

Crap. He messed it all up, didn't he? Yuuri Katsuki didn't fall, did he? He was going to lose. Most of he other skaters didn't fall either. He was almost sure he was going to lose to Yuuri at this point. But he had to get back up and continue the routine, no matter how much he just wanted to quit right then and there.

He could still get bonus points to try and make up for that fall, but he might end up messing those up even more. He really couldn't afford to have any more deductions. And he also couldn't add another jump because he felt like he was already starting to run out of stamina. This routine really wasn't easy.

Another quad, the second to the last one. He lifted one arm up during the jump and luckily didn't fall. Still, he wasn't sure if it was enough to make up for that awful fall. In everyone else's eyes, it probably wasn't that bad of a mistake. But in his, it could cost him the whole competition.

The last quad. That was his only hope. He rotated, jumping as high as he could, lifted both arms up, and landed as neatly as he could. He didn't fall. He managed to make it through all four quads, which earned him cheers from the audience. 

Only a few more seconds and he would be finished with the program. Only a few more seconds and he would get the results. For just a few more seconds, he had to hang in there. Even though his lungs were burning and he was drenched in sweat, he had to hold on.

After what felt like hours, his routine had finally come to an end. He gave his final pose of the program and the audience erupted in cheers and applause. Yeah, it was a really good routine for a fifteen-year-old. But it was enough.

It wasn't enough to win. Yuri panted, gasping for breath after that program. He pushed himself past his limits and it still wasn't enough. He could feel tears prickling in the back of his eyes. Before he even knew it, he was kneeling on the ground, covering his face with his hands, trying desperately to stop the tears.

It wasn't even voluntary. He started crying before he even realized it. He didn't do well enough and now everyone would be disappointed in him. Viktor would be upset because he couldn't keep his promise. Yuuri would win the Grand Prix Final, but he would retire right after. He wasn't able to stop him. He didn't skate well enough. He didn't keep his promise.

His grandfather was probably disappointed as well. He did nowhere near as well as he could have. His grandfather had seen much better performances from him. He just let him down, didn't he? He was probably only clapping out of pity for him. He had to clap, everyone else was, after all. But it was only claps of pity. No one really expected him to win. And they were right. He wouldn't win with a performance like that.

You, watching from your hospital bed, were probably frowning in disappointment. You were mad at him, weren't you? You expected him to skate so much better than he did, but he let you down. That thought made him sob even harder to the point where he was gasping for breath. 

He didn't even want to go to the kiss and cry to see his score. He already knew he lost. He didn't want anyone to rub it in, but he couldn't just leave either. Yakov and Lilia wouldn't let him. They were also disappointed, weren't they? They expected so much better, but he only let hem down in the end.

It was over. The Grand Prix Final was over and he couldn't change any of the results. As much as he might have wanted to change his score, he couldn't. And all he could do was sit there and wait. Wait until he got the score.

But he already knew that he lost. He just hoped you wouldn't be as disappointed in him as he thought you would be.


	27. Yuri’s victory

Yakov was the one who finally managed to get Yuri off the ice after what felt like forever. He didn't even have to approach the boy, all he had to do was scream, "Your score, Yura!" and Yuri immediately lifted his head up.

He scrambled to his feet quickly, giving a bow to the audience before heading over to the kiss and cry. Even so, he really didn't want to see what his score was. He already knew he failed, he just didn't want anyone to rub it in. To him, it felt like the announcers were doing exactly that.

Yuri sat down at the kiss and cry. This whole thing was broadcasted live and since he was at the kiss and cry, there would likely be closeups of his and Yakov's faces. He probably looked pretty bad after having cried so hard on the ice. But that really wasn't the thing to think about right now.

Right now, he should be focusing on his score. It was taking a surprisingly long time for the judges to give him a score. It must be hard, considering that he added in those raised-arm jumps in there. But it shouldn't be taking this long. The audience had gone completely silent now. The only sounds were the occasional whispers of confused spectators, but Yuri couldn't even hear those.

The only thing he could hear was the sound of his blood pulsing in his ears. He really had pushed himself too hard. His heart was still racing, both from strain and anxiety, and now he had a headache from crying so much. He probably would have passed out if that were an option right now. But it was probably the worst possible time to do so.

Even with pushing himself so hard, he still wasn't able to do well enough. That proved that he had a lot of work to do. Yuri remembered what it was like to do poorly at a competition and have to go to practice the next day. He had a break this time, though, which he was grateful for.

Other times, he wasn't so lucky. When he first started skating, he wasn't a gold medalist. Sometimes he didn't even make it to the podium. After those competitions he would go to practice. Nobody would mention anything about the previous day, but Yuri knew it was the only thing on their minds.

The only reason they didn't say anything was because they were trying to be considerate of Yuri's feelings. But they didn't need to do that. Yuri learned how to suppress his disappointment when he was very young. If he was disappointed with his score or ranking, he would express it with anger.

But not at competitions. He had to look the part of the Russian Fairy. He had to be as calm and stoic as possible. Any emotion, really, except sadness and anger. Those two were forbidden in the figure skating world. You'd lose all of your prestige. Yuri couldn't risk that. He needed the sponsors. He couldn't keep letting his grandfather pay for everything.

In private, emotions were a different story. Yuri would let out his emotions when no one was around. The only people he would allow to comfort him after a disappointing competition were his grandfather, Yakov, and Viktor.

Sure, Viktor was annoying as hell, but that didn't mean he was a jerk. At least not when Yuri was upset. The two had known each other for quite some time, having trained under the same coach since the start of Yuri's skating career. Viktor had grown quite accustomed to what Yuri was feeling for a while now. 

When the boy was upset, Viktor would always be there for him in one way or another. Sometimes he would cheer him up by begging Yakov for a day off for the two of them if Yuri wasn't feeling too up to practicing that day. Other times, he would treat him to ice cream. Yuri knew what he was doing, but he never called him out on it and he never minded it, either.

Viktor was different from everyone else when it came to comfort. He would never directly try to cheer Yuri up. Instead, he would be there for him without invading his personal space and forcing him to talk about what he was feeling if he didn't want to. That's what everyone else did. Mila, and Georgi, and some of his other rink mates. 

Yuri was very upset when Viktor left, and not just because he broke his promise to him. It was because when Viktor left, he felt like he was all alone. He wasn't friends with anyone else there. He had no one besides Viktor, and now he was gone. The two were like brothers, always teasing each other. But at the end of the day, they really cared for each other. Yuri really missed that, having someone to care for who cared for him.

And that's when you came along. You saved Yuri from the loneliness he thought he'd feel for the rest of his life. That was what was able to lift his spirits when he thought about getting a low score. No matter what score he got, you would still be there for him and you would be proud of him. 

At that moment, he heard the cheering of the audience again. It was so loud, he considered covering his ears. He hadn't even realized he'd been staring at the ground until Yakov yelled at him, "Now is no time to be admiring the floor tiles, look at your score, Yura!"

And so he did. And what he saw shocked him. He felt his legs go numb and his hands start to tremble. He could feel his breathing slow and then start to get faster. His eyes widened and his heart raced faster than before. 

Yuri had won. His overall score put him in first place. He had won. He could feel Yakov put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him as he started to laugh. This couldn't be real, could it? He actually…won?

Yuri put his hands over his mouth, suppressing a gasp. He had done it. All of his training paid off. All of those ballet lessons with the old hag Lilia paid off. He and you were the champions. The youngest ever Grand Prix Final champions. And it would stay that way, since the youngest age to compete is fifteen. 

Two fifteen-year-olds had won the Grand Prix Final in the same year. Oh, how Yuri wished you could be here right now, celebrating with him. Which reminded him of something he needed to ask Yakov.

"Yakov, is (Y/N) still at the hospital?" he asked. "Right after I get my medal, I'm leaving to visit her. I need to show her proof of what happened today. Yakov…am I dreaming?" Yuri looked at his shaking hand with confusion.

Yakov chuckled. "No, Yura, you're not. You really won the Grand Prix Final. I want to see how Vitya feels about that!" Yakov gave another short laugh. "Well, I suppose we can visit (Y/N). Vitya and I were going to celebrate on our own after this, but I guess we can make a pit stop. (Y/N) likes Vitya and Katsuki, right? I think she'd like to see them, too."

Yuri nodded. You probably would like to see them anyway. He didn't even mind bringing them along anymore, he was just excited to be visiting you soon. Even if he wasn't in the mood for those two to come, he still wouldn't object. This was your victory, too, after all. 

Later that day, after the audience and skaters had enough of talking about who won, it was time for the three winners to make their way to the podiums. Yuri felt amazing to be standin in the center, above Yuuri and JJ. It was a wonderful feeling. 

He'd worked so hard to beat Yuuri. But he still wasn't giving the Japanese man all the credit for coming in second place. In his opinion, it was mostly Viktor's work. And JJ, he was just a jerk. Even if he wasn't a formidable opponent, he'd still enjoy beating him because he was just that awful to be around.

What that word called? When you defeat your opponents after a long, hard battle? When you feel so good, having accomplished your goal and working for it harder than anyone else? What was that word?

It was victory. This was Yuri's victory.


	28. Yuri’s history

After a long time of trying to avoid the press and overly-enthusiastic fans, Yuri made it to the car with Yakov, Viktor, and Yuuri. Yakov was going to invite Viktor and Yuuri to come, but they ended up inviting themselves when Yakov told them he and Yuri were going to visit you in the hospital.

Viktor was really excited to congratulate you on your win. He knows how good it feels to win such an important competition and he wanted to be there for you since you must be feeling upset about not having been able to accept your medal on the podium. Since you were very close to Yuri, someone he considered a friend, he also considered you a friend. And he would always be there for a friend.

Speaking of your gold medal, Yakov was the one put in charge of delivering it to you. The judges just wouldn't give it to Yuri no matter how much he argued with them about it. He really wanted to be the one who presented the medal to you. But he still hoped Yakov would let him. Yakov wasn't that mean of a guy, right? Well, he was pretty mean, but Yuri was hoping he would decide to make an exception for today.

Yuuri decided to come along because he wanted to be with Viktor. It was also because he knew Yuri would be feeling upset about seeing you with an injury like that. Yuuri wouldn't want to see someone he loved like that, and he knew it was the same for Yuri, no matter how tough the boy tried to seem. 

On the way there, it was pretty silent for quite some time. No one said anything and the only sound was the steady rumbling of the car engine and the occasional honks from other drivers on the road. It was a busy street, after all.

After a while, Viktor spoke up. "Yurio, are you feeling all right? You haven't said anything for a while now." Yuri just rolled his eyes at Viktor's dumb comment.

"I'm fine, you old geezer. If you want to make small talk with someone, just talk to your boyfriend over there. He hasn't said anything either, don't single me out." He was right. Yuuri hadn't said anything in a while and Yuri didn't know why Viktor was only calling him out on it. 

"Actually, Yurio, he's not my boyfriend anymore. He's my fiancé. Remember?" Viktor showed Yuri his ring in a bragging manner. He was sitting in the front seat next to Yakov, who was driving, because of the lack of room in the backseat.

Yuri blamed it on "Yuuri's fat body taking over all three seats" but that wasn't the case. There just wasn't enough room for all three to sit together. All of them wanted the seat next to Yakov, so they played rock-paper-scissors. Viktor won, much to Yuri's annoyance.

"V-Viktor, don't just show it off like that!" Yuuri scolded Viktor. "It's embarrassing!" His face was a shade of bright pink that went up to his ears. Yuri seriously wondered how he managed to fit Eros so well, looking like that.

"Hey, if you two are going to be together, at least own it!" Yuri complained. "There's no point in getting married if you're embarrassed to even say you're engaged. Isn't that kind of obvious?" 

"That's not the case for you and (Y/N), is it?" Viktor retorted. "You've liked her for how long now? And you're still embarrassed to say so, even when we've been driving to the hospital for almost an hour now because you're worried about her. Just admit it, Yurio. You love her."

Yuri's cheeks burned bright red out of both anger and embarrassment. "Don't say stupid things like that, you old fart! That's none of your business anyway! Maybe I'm just going because I want to rub my victory in her face, who knows?!"

This earned a laugh from Viktor. Soon after, they arrived at the hospital where you were currently being held. Yuri really hoped you were okay and that the injury wasn't too serious. If you broke your ankle, you might not be able to skate again for an entire season. He really hoped that wasn't the case.

Yakov was able to give the hospital workers all the information they needed to allow the three into your room. A nurse showed them to your room, opening the door. She waited to make sure there was no problem and promptly left.

You were lying on the uncomfortable hospital bed, something strange in your leg. Yuri knew it wasn't a cast, so that released some tension from him. You turned you head to the door when you heard it open. Your eyes immediately widened, a bright smile forming on your face when you recognized everyone.

"Yuri!" you exclaimed happily. "I'm so happy to see you!" Yuri walked over to the bed, allowing you to pull him into a tight hug. Releasing him from your strong grip, you said, "I'm so sorry for worrying you. It's only a sprain. It hurt really badly a while ago, but the pain has almost gone away now."

Now it was time for Yuri to ask the question he had been avoiding for a while now. "Will you be able to skate again soon?" he asked slowly. You smiled at him and nodded.

"Soon," you said. "The doctors said I'll need up to a month to recover fully, but I'm glad it's no longer than that. I've already told Lilia about everything. She said she'll be choreographing my next program because I'll definitely be competing next season."

Yuri sighed in relief. That was great news. Amazing, in fact. He hadn't expected anything like this at all. "That's great," he said, a small smile on his face. "I really wasn't expecting that. After you're out of here, we're going to be doing a lot of practicing, even if that doesn't include skating right now."

Yakov cleared his throat, earning your and Yuri's attention. "Yuri, I think there's something you wanted to give to (Y/N)?" He carefully handed the medal to Yuri, making sure you wouldn't be able to see it. Yuri's eyes widened. Yakov was letting him do it? He seriously thought the man didn't have a single caring bone in his body.

"(Y/N), I hated that you weren't able to get your medal back there," he said. "But you're still getting your medal, I can guarantee that." You smiled at him. "Thank you, Yuri. It won't be the same as accepting it as the competition, but it's okay."

"You're right," he said. "It won't be like accepting it at the Grand Prix Final. It'll be even better." Yuri took the medal from his hand and held it in front of you. He watched the excitement in your eyes grow to a crescendo. 

Yuri placed the medal around your neck like it was an expensive piece of jewelry. It was expensive, but it wasn't jewelry. It was even better. It was a symbol of how hard you worked to get where you were. Even though some practices may have felt like torture and you worked until your legs went numb, it was all worth it.

You and Yuri were the champions of the Grand Prix Final, and the youngest ones at that. 

Viktor, Yuuri, and Yakov could tell the two of you would be wanting some privacy. Respecting this, they left the room, waving goodbye at the two of you.

"Yuri, I'm so happy," you said. "I never even imagined I could do something like this. I thought it was all some dream of mine I'd never be able to achieve, but it really happened. Yuri, we really won! We really did it!"

Yuri nodded. In all the excitement from the events of that day, Yuri wasn't really in his right mind. But he was grateful for that, because he made some decisions he normally wouldn't have.

He kissed you.

Right on the lips, he kissed you softly and lovingly. You smiled into the kiss, feeling sad when it was over. The two of you smiled at each other for what felt like forever. 

All of your hard work had paid off. The two of you accomplished everything you wanted to and did the things everyone thought were impossible.

The two of you made history.


	29. Epilogue: Yuri’s happy ending

You had been released from the hospital for a few days now. On the same day you had been released, Yakov got a phone call from an interviewer wanted to interview you and Yuri after your Grand Prix Final win.

You both were excited about it. This would be the first time the two of you had a televised interview. Apparently the reporter was someone Yakov had heard about. He'd done interviews with Viktor before, so Yakov knew he wasn't just someone trying to scam you.

On the day you and Yuri were going to be interviewed, Lilia made sure the two of you dressed nicely. Nothing too extravagant, but at least formal-looking. You didn't have much of a problem with it, but Yuri was pretty annoyed. "You may no longer be a prima ballerina, Yuri, but you still have to look as glamorous as a famous figure skater should." Yuri didn't get that. Viktor was probably the most famous and he dressed casual all the time.

"But not for important things like this," you pointed out to him. "I've watched many of his interviews before. He always dressed nicely for them, even if he might not when he's just relaxing at home. Isn't that how all people are?" You had a point there, Yuri could admit. But he really hated dressing nicely. He thought it was such a waste of time and effort to do so. He'd be saying the same things and acting the same way during the interview, just in comfy clothes. He hated these unwritten rules everyone told him about. 

"Whatever," he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, which made you laugh. It reminded you of when you and Yuri first met. He was much moodier back then. You were glad that he was mostly over that phase, but he was still pretty argumentative when he wanted to be. Which was most of the time. Now that you thought about it, maybe he hadn't actually changed all that much.

Before the Grand Prix Final, you and Yuri weren't acknowledged by other skaters and reporters as muc as you were now. It was because you were both so young. Most skaters became famous and well-known when they won several big competitions. Even winning one sometimes isn't enough to make a name for yourself.

But since the two of you won the Grand Prix Final at only fifteen years old, people would definitely be remembering you. Younger skaters tend not to perform as well as the older ones. But then again, you and Yuri weren't the type who liked to follow those types of rules. "This is just how it is." Well…why? Why can't we change those rules? That was the type of thinking that made you win the Grand Prix Final.

"(Y/N), Yuri," you heard Yakov call, "it's time to go!" Quickly slipping on your shoes, you left the area and got into the car. You and Yuri weren't arriving in any fancy limousine or other expensive car. You just wanted to be natural. Winning one competition didn't make the two of you different people. You were still the same, simple teenagers you were before, just with many more achievements.

Before you even knew it, you arrived at your destination. Taking a deep breath, you stepped out of the car, careful not to trip. That would have been so embarrassing. Yuri didn't care as much and just got out of the car quickly, disregarding any possible accidents that could have occurred.

"Hello Yakov," the reporter said, shaking the older man's hand. "It's nice to see you again." The reporter was around forty years old and wore a black suit. His brown hair was styled to the side, giving off a professional vibe. 

"You too," Yakov said simply, shaking his hand. They had met previously when Viktor was being interviewed by him. The skater had been interviewed by many others, but most frequently by this man. 

"(F/N) (L/N), Yuri Plisetsky, it's a pleasure to meet both of you," he said politely. Yuri nodded in response. You smiled and responded, "There's no need for formalities, just call me (Y/N), Mr…" you trailed off, not even knowing the reporter's name.

"Mr. Stepanov," he finished for you. You nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Mr. Stepanov, for having us." Yuri mumbled something that sounded like "thanks" but you weren't really sure. He seemed a bit nervous to you. You just smiled at him, taking his hand in yours and giving it a tight squeeze. He seemed irritated, but he wasn't nervous anymore. 

"For the interview, we'll be siting in this room. I'll be sitting next to the camera. Just pretend like it's not even there and talk to me when I give you two a question. Is that all right?" You both nodded. "Great," he said, smiling.

The interview began just a few minutes later. "Ms. (L/N), Mr. Plisetsky, congratulations on your win at the Grand Prix Final. It must have felt great to win at such a young age. How did it feel when you realized you had both won?"

"It was amazing," you answered. "I almost felt like I was dreaming, it didn't feel real at first. But I'm so glad it was. All of our hard work finally paid off." Yuri nodded, agreeing with you. "Yeah," he said. "We practiced for ages. If we didn't, we wouldn't even have had a chance at winning. But because we were so dedicated, we ended up achieving what we wanted the whole time."

Mr. Stepanov nodded. "Ms. (L/N), you had a fall during your free program. That caused a sprained ankle, didn't it? Are you feeling better now?" You nodded. "I've always healed very quickly, I'm sure this will be no different. It feels fine, honestly, but I'm still going to rest for a little while longer."

"That's very responsible of you," he noted. "The two of you seem very close. There have been rumors spreading about the two of you being in a relationship. Is this true?" There it was. You had a feeling that question would be coming up soon. But you didn't mind.

"Actually, we are dating," Yuri said. That surprised you. You didn't expect him to be the one to say it like that. "We may be young, but we do love each other." That made you blush. Yuri was never romantic like this, and you did like this change of pace.

"Yuri may seem like an angry kitten, but he's actually really sweet," you said with a smile. "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have even won the Grand Prix Final. He's the one who pushed me and told me I could really do it if I put my heart to it. And so I did. And I won." 

"That's very sweet," the interviewer said. "Speaking of your relationship, how did the two of you meet? I'm sure your fans would like to know." The reporter probably didn't realize what kind of question he was asking. You were sure both your and Yuri's faces were bright red right then. And this was going to be on TV? Oh no.

"W-well," you started nervously. "It's kind of funny, actually. We met when my ballet instructor, Lilia, told me I was going to have a practice partner. She told me he was my age and a figure skater like me. She had a feeling we would get along because of those things.

"It was a pretty awkward first meeting," you continued. "I was changing in the ballet studio, getting ready for my first practice with Yuri. And then…well…Yuri actually went into the wrong room and walked in on me while I was changing instead."

Yuri was trying to cover his face with his hands. The reporter's eyes widened. "How did you two manage to get along after that?" he asked curiously. You shrugged.

"I really have no idea. Any normal, sensible girl would have yelled at him and ignored him forever. But then again, I've never considered myself a normal, sensible girl."

Yuri spoke this time with a confidence you'd never heard from him before. "I made a horrible first impression on her. If I were her, I would have never given me a second chance. But we were somehow able to just ignore it and move on.

"I'm awful at making first impressions. The one I made on her was probably the worst of them all. But maybe it wasn't so bad. After all, it led to us being together. And honestly, even if I could, I wouldn't have changed a thing about the way we first met. Because it was perfect, no matter how awful it may have felt at the time. It was perfect."


End file.
